shambles

noun

sham·​bles ˈsham-bəlz How to pronounce shambles (audio)
plural in form but singular or plural in construction
1
archaic : a meat market
2
3
a
: a place of mass slaughter or bloodshed
the battlefield became a shambles
b
: a scene or a state of great destruction : wreckage
the city was a shambles after the bombing
c(1)
: a scene or a state of great disorder or confusion
an economy in shambles
(2)
: great confusion : mess

Did you know?

The story of shambles appears to be a bit of a shambles: somehow, a word meaning "footstool" gave us a word meaning "mess." It all starts with the Latin word scamillum, the diminutive of scamnum, meaning "stool, bench." Modify the spelling and you get the Old English word sceamol, meaning "stool." Alter again to the Middle English word shameles (the plural of schamel), and give it a more specific meaning: "a vendor’s table." Tweak that a little and you arrive at the 15th-century term shambles, meaning "meat market." A century or so takes shambles from "meat market" to "slaughterhouse," then to figurative application as a term referring to a place of terrible slaughter or bloodshed (say, a battlefield). The grim connotations fade over time, but the messiness remains, and voilà: the modern sense of shambles meaning "mess" or "state of great confusion." Transition accomplished!

Examples of shambles in a Sentence

this room is a shambles—clean it up right now! the earthquake left the whole town in a shambles

Word History

Etymology

Middle English shameles, plural of schamel vendor's table, footstool, from Old English sceamol stool, from Latin scamillum, diminutive of scamnum stool, bench; perhaps akin to Sanskrit skambha pillar

First Known Use

15th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Time Traveler
The first known use of shambles was in the 15th century

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Cite this Entry

“Shambles.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/shambles. Accessed 11 Sep. 2025.

Kids Definition

shambles

singular or plural noun
sham·​bles ˈsham-bəlz How to pronounce shambles (audio)
1
: a place or state of destruction
the hurricane left the city in a shambles
2
: a scene or state of disorder or confusion : mess
this room is a shambles
an economy in shambles

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