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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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
-
This meant slowly shuffling into the wilderness.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
19 May 2026
-
At 2-0 down, and with Nuno Espirito Santo shuffling to a back-four, there was a flicker of a pulse and two decent saves from Nick Pope.—
George Caulkin,
New York Times,
18 May 2026
Adjective
-
Kearney estimates that nearly half of those in the high-income bracket may be so over-extended that they are dangerously exposed to rising interest rates, stock market gyrations, and a wobbly jobs market.—
Greg Petro,
Forbes.com,
19 May 2026
-
On Iran, neither Washington nor Beijing wants the prolonged instability in global energy markets that the war and the subsequent wobbly cease-fire have caused.—
Vivian Salama,
The Atlantic,
14 May 2026
Verb
-
In a video shared on Facebook by comedian Mike Goldstein, the man can be seen stumbling out of the bathroom while still fastening his belt.—
Desiree Anello,
PEOPLE,
17 May 2026
-
Arriving at Badlands National Park feels like stumbling upon Mars.—
Stephanie Vermillion,
Travel + Leisure,
17 May 2026
Adjective
-
The contrast with Durant’s lumpish Johnny makes no sense.—
Charles McNulty,
Los Angeles Times,
11 Oct. 2024
-
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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Vandenbroucke verifies that the worst way to respond is cranking up your own television or music, stomping your feet, or pounding on the walls or ceiling.—
Karla Walsh,
Southern Living,
12 May 2026
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We’re treated to a surreal sequence wherein Cassie transforms into the 50-Foot Woman, stomping all over Downtown Los Angeles like a monster movie, which all seems like a pretext for a scene where Sweeney’s giant boobs burst through the windows of a building.—
Marlow Stern,
Variety,
11 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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Medical staff who treated Paul say he was clearly intoxicated, slurring his speech and unsteady on his feet.—
Bill Chappell,
NPR,
13 May 2026
-
In a half hour or so, the newborn gathers itself and stands unsteady on wobbly legs.—
Susan Koch,
Chicago Tribune,
8 May 2026
Cite this Entry
“Shambling.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/shambling. Accessed 22 May. 2026.
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