hobble

[ hob-uhl ]
/ ˈhɒb əl /

verb (used without object), hob·bled, hob·bling.

to walk lamely; limp.
to proceed irregularly and haltingly: His verses hobble with their faulty meters.

verb (used with object), hob·bled, hob·bling.

noun

Origin of hobble

1300–50; Middle English hobelen, apparently akin to hob protuberance, uneven ground, and to Dutch hobbelen, German hoppeln to jolt

OTHER WORDS FROM hobble

hob·bler, noun un·hob·bled, adjective un·hob·bling, adjective

Example sentences from the Web for hobbling

British Dictionary definitions for hobbling

hobble
/ (ˈhɒbəl) /

verb

noun

Also (for senses 2, 5): hopple

Derived forms of hobble

hobbler, noun

Word Origin for hobble

C14: probably from Low German; compare Flemish hoppelen, Middle Dutch hobbelen to stammer