I. ˈshambəl, -aam- transitive verb
( -ed/-ing/-s )
Etymology: from shambles
: slaughter
II. adjective
Etymology: from obsolete English shamble table for the exhibition of meat for sale, from Middle English shamel; from the use of the expression shamble legs to refer to a person's legs resembling those of such a table
: bowed , malformed
hobbled along on his shamble legs
III. intransitive verb
( shambled ; shambled ; shambling -b(ə)liŋ ; shambles )
1. : to walk awkwardly with dragging feet : shuffle
2. : to move awkwardly
a crab shambled across the uneven bottom of the pool
exercised a style that shambled and wobbled self-consciously in a welter of qualifications — Van Wyck Brooks
IV. noun
( -s )
Etymology: shamble (III)
: a shambling gait