as in shuffling
to move heavily or clumsily
disconsolate and exhausted after losing the match, the wrestler shambled toward the locker room
Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
as in lumbering
Related Words
Dissimilar Words
Example Sentences
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.
Recent Examples of shambling
James Parker, The Atlantic, 12 Sep. 2025
Erik Kain, Forbes.com, 6 Sep. 2025
Verb
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
Adjective
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
-
The Detroit Tigers had some roster shuffling to take care of before Thursday's series finale against the Cleveland Guardians.—
Jackson Roberts,
MSNBC Newsweek,
18 Sep. 2025
-
However, this campaign has seen Cody Gakpo drop deeper from the left wing, often shuffling back into the midfield line.—
Mark Carey,
New York Times,
15 Sep. 2025
Verb
-
The episode ends with a surreal, graphic deepfake scene of a totally nude Donald Trump stumbling around a desert.—
Nick Marx,
The Conversation,
11 Sep. 2025
-
Inside the agency, Dudek, ill-prepared for leadership or for DOGE’s murky agenda, was stumbling through the chaos in part by creating some of his own.—
Eli Hager,
ProPublica,
8 Sep. 2025
Adjective
-
Some analysts express hope the Bay Area’s innovation economy can help steady the region’s wobbly job market, especially if cutting-edge sectors such as artificial intelligence spark hiring in this region.—
George Avalos,
Mercury News,
19 Sep. 2025
-
And then last weekend against USF, Fitzgerald tracked down a wobbly pass from Byrum Brown, who was pressured by Akheem Mesidor, and came down with the ball in the second quarter.—
Jordan McPherson,
Miami Herald,
17 Sep. 2025
Verb
-
In Baltimore, the Ravens shook off last week’s stunning loss to the Bills by stomping the Cleveland Browns 41-17.—
Zak Keefer,
New York Times,
15 Sep. 2025
-
Cena’s chrome-domed antihero, Freddie Stroma’s Vigilante and and Danielle Brooks’ Adebayo stomping through spots of light.—
Matt Webb Mitovich,
TVLine,
21 Aug. 2025
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
Adjective
-
But Sky Sports has since reported that Ashworth thought Amorim was the wrong choice and would cause more disruption to an already unsteady ship.—
Zak Garner-Purkis,
Forbes.com,
17 Sep. 2025
-
Frazier came out of his corner in the 14th all but blind, rocking on unsteady legs.—
Vann R. Newkirk II,
The Atlantic,
16 Sep. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Shambling.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/shambling. Accessed 21 Sep. 2025.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
Share