as in lumbering
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as in shuffling
to move heavily or clumsily
disconsolate and exhausted after losing the match, the wrestler shambled toward the locker room
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Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of shambling
Owen Gleiberman, Variety, 31 Mar. 2026
One rarely gains a sense of what people look like (beyond the son’s bulky physique and shambling movements, in which the mother ‘caught a flash of her brother’).
—Dan Sheehan, Literary Hub, 22 Jan. 2026
These movies—including the seven-hour-long Sátántangó, a centerpiece of which is a shambling dance in a barroom—often swap the meandering sentence for a single camera shot that lasts 10 minutes or more.
—Walt Hunter, The Atlantic, 9 Oct. 2025
Once the beyond-the-grave comeuppance arrives, this short is just standard shambling ghouls and raining blood.
—A.a. Dowd, Vulture, 3 Oct. 2025
The shambling Cliff and the spiky Didi make for an odd couple.
—Peter Tonguette, The Washington Examiner, 19 Sep. 2025
David Sims, The Atlantic, 10 Apr. 2026
The Walking Dead keeps shambling along, now splintered into a bunch of pretty lackluster spinoffs.
—Erik Kain, Forbes.com, 6 Sep. 2025
Adjective
With almost no plan, Sonny makes a shambling attempt at an armed robbery, only to end up trapped in the bank with the manager and five female tellers as his hostages.
—Owen Gleiberman, Variety, 31 Mar. 2026
One rarely gains a sense of what people look like (beyond the son’s bulky physique and shambling movements, in which the mother ‘caught a flash of her brother’).
—Dan Sheehan, Literary Hub, 22 Jan. 2026
These movies—including the seven-hour-long Sátántangó, a centerpiece of which is a shambling dance in a barroom—often swap the meandering sentence for a single camera shot that lasts 10 minutes or more.
—Walt Hunter, The Atlantic, 9 Oct. 2025
Once the beyond-the-grave comeuppance arrives, this short is just standard shambling ghouls and raining blood.
—A.a. Dowd, Vulture, 3 Oct. 2025
The shambling Cliff and the spiky Didi make for an odd couple.
—Peter Tonguette, The Washington Examiner, 19 Sep. 2025
Verb
Julian’s shambling charm wears her down, the elder statesman challenging his younger peer’s view on their industry.
—David Sims, The Atlantic, 10 Apr. 2026
The Walking Dead keeps shambling along, now splintered into a bunch of pretty lackluster spinoffs.
—Erik Kain, Forbes.com, 6 Sep. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for shambling
Verb
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Having gone into hiding, Walt ultimately manages to make some things right before shuffling off the mortal coil.—
Brianna Zigler,
Entertainment Weekly,
2 June 2026
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The move comes one year after the team promoted Saleh to general manager after another round of shuffling in its front office.—
Lauren Williams,
AJC.com,
27 May 2026
Adjective
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But shouldering a wobbly, expensive summer tentpole is a risk — just ask Sam Worthington or Taylor Kitsch.—
Amy Nicholson,
Los Angeles Times,
3 June 2026
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Folks who can afford today’s lofty rents are a limited group, especially when the job market’s a tad wobbly.—
Jonathan Lansner,
Oc Register,
1 June 2026
Verb
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This includes people who do not know each other and who did not coordinate with one another to gather all somehow separately, hearing about Manhattanhenge (or simply stumbling across the crowd) and enjoying the view together.—
Chelsea Gohd,
Space.com,
1 June 2026
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The video then shows Henderson stumbling towards a wall in the area, where someone can be seen calling for help.—
Brittney Ermon,
CBS News,
31 May 2026
Adjective
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The contrast with Durant’s lumpish Johnny makes no sense.—
Charles McNulty,
Los Angeles Times,
11 Oct. 2024
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Because both actors look like lumpish proletarian versions of Ingmar Bergman stars — Alma Pöysti, radiant yet benumbed, plays Ansa like a dish-towel Bibi Andersson, and Jussi Vatanen could be the schlump brother of Max von Sydow (with a dollop of Ryan Gosling).—
Owen Gleiberman,
Variety,
23 May 2023
Verb
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Shouting, slamming doors and feet stomping are some of the noises that concern many home bakers anxiously awaiting a baking cake.—
BestReviews,
Chicago Tribune,
29 May 2026
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As anyone who's come within a hundred miles of the city will tell you, Nashville is a live-music mecca, overflowing with boot-stomping, fiddle-playing entertainment.—
Kaitlyn Yarborough,
Southern Living,
24 May 2026
Adjective
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The pair come off less as cybercriminal masterminds than as galumphing galoots—that is to say, a pair of bumbling oafs who thought that asking AI how to cover their tracks was going to keep them out of federal prison.—
Nate Anderson,
ArsTechnica,
14 May 2026
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In the fall and early winter, there might be 20 creatures lounging there, occasionally galumphing or issuing a burp noise that echoes over the water.—
John Metcalfe,
Mercury News,
24 Nov. 2025
Adjective
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Play Me is third in a series of startling collaborations with producer Justin Raisen, making an unsteady blend of hip-hop textures and the noisy avant-garde.—
SPIN Staff,
SPIN,
1 June 2026
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San Jose police officers reported Beas Solorio as having bloodshot eyes, an unsteady gait, slurred speech and the odor of alcohol.—
Robert Salonga,
Mercury News,
30 May 2026
Cite this Entry
“Shambling.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/shambling. Accessed 6 Jun. 2026.
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