shambling

adjective

sham·​bling ˈsham-b(ə-)liŋ How to pronounce shambling (audio)
: characterized by slow awkward movement

Examples of shambling in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
The shambling Cliff and the spiky Didi make for an odd couple. Peter Tonguette, The Washington Examiner, 19 Sep. 2025 At the same time, no one in metal was funnier, more in touch with his own bathos, more post–Spinal Tap, in a sense, than Ozzy, especially in his shambling-paterfamilias incarnation on MTV’s reality show The Osbournes. James Parker, The Atlantic, 12 Sep. 2025

Word History

First Known Use

1592, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of shambling was in 1592

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Cite this Entry

“Shambling.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/shambling. Accessed 22 Sep. 2025.

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