as in to shuffle
to move heavily or clumsily
disconsolate and exhausted after losing the match, the wrestler shambled toward the locker room
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Recent Examples of shamble
When photos hit the news of a sullen-looking Bodden shambling into court for the first time, Forrest’s friends and family were enraged.
—
Brenna Ehrlich, Rolling Stone, 8 June 2025
The manor’s ghouls and shambling zombies don’t feel any less threatening when contained within the tiny square portraits of a card.
—The New York Times, New York Times, 30 May 2025
The left horse just wanted to shamble along, while the right horse pulled with frantic jerks.
—Louise Erdrich, New Yorker, 25 May 2025
One nickname — Zombie tranq — reflects shambling from deep sedation.
—Pat Beall, Orlando Sentinel, 19 Jan. 2025
See All Example Sentences for shamble
Brenna Ehrlich, Rolling Stone, 8 June 2025
The manor’s ghouls and shambling zombies don’t feel any less threatening when contained within the tiny square portraits of a card.
—The New York Times, New York Times, 30 May 2025
The left horse just wanted to shamble along, while the right horse pulled with frantic jerks.
—Louise Erdrich, New Yorker, 25 May 2025
One nickname — Zombie tranq — reflects shambling from deep sedation.
—Pat Beall, Orlando Sentinel, 19 Jan. 2025
See All Example Sentences for shamble
Recent Examples of Synonyms for shamble
Verb
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The race for Los Angeles mayor has been in an extraordinary state of flux, with the candidate lineup shuffling and reshuffling in the final days before the filing deadline.—
David Zahniser,
Los Angeles Times,
6 Feb. 2026
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The Moore administration has chosen the opposite approach, doubling down on spending while shuffling money around in a game of three-card monte.—
J.B. Jennings,
Baltimore Sun,
5 Feb. 2026
Verb
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Jaelin Kauff is easily through after her quarterfinal opponent Anastassiya Gordodko stumbles.—
Sean Nevin,
NBC news,
14 Feb. 2026
-
Gold-medal favorite figure skater Ilia Malinin stumbled to eighth in stunning fashion, citing the pressure of his first Olympics.—
Los Angeles Times,
Los Angeles Times,
14 Feb. 2026
Verb
-
All those girls knew how to stomp.—
Christian Allaire,
Vogue,
15 Feb. 2026
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Ciara is thawing towards West, and getting goats for the party helped, even though one stomped all over Levi’s face.—
Brian Moylan,
Vulture,
11 Feb. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Shamble.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/shamble. Accessed 20 Feb. 2026.
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