hobble

UK: /ˈhɒb^əl/ US: /ˈhɑbəl/ ,(hob′əl)

Inflections of 'hobble' (v): (⇒ conjugate)

hobbles

v 3rd person singular

hobbling

v pres p

hobbled

v past

hobbled

v past p

WordReference Random House Learner's Dictionary of American English © 2025

hob•ble /ˈhɑbəl/   v., -bled, -bling, n. 
v. 

1. to walk lamely;
   limp:
   [no object] After the accident I hobbled back to the lodge.
2. [~ + object] to fasten together the legs of (a horse) by short lengths of rope to prevent free motion.
3. impede;
   hamper:
   [~ + object] Those developments will hobble the plan, but not ruin it.

n. [countable]

4. an uneven, halting way of walking;
   a limp.
5. a rope, strap, etc., used to hobble.

hob•bler, n. [countable]

WordReference Random House Unabridged Dictionary of American English © 2025

hob•ble  (hob′əl), v., -bled, -bling, n. 
v.i. 

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

v.t. 

3. to cause to limp:
   His tight shoes hobbled him.
4. to fasten together the legs of (a horse, mule, etc.) by short lengths of rope to prevent free motion.
5. to impede;
   hamper the progress of.

n. 

6. an act of hobbling;
   an uneven, halting gait;
   a limp.
7. a rope, strap, etc., used to hobble an animal.
8. Sport hobbles, a leg harness for controlling the gait of a pacer.
9. [Archaic.] an awkward or difficult situation.

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

hob′bler, n. 
Synonyms

• 5. hinder, restrict, frustrate, cramp.

Antonyms

• 5. aid, assist, benefit.

Collins Concise English Dictionary © HarperCollins Publishers::

hobble / ˈhɒb^əl/ verb

1. (intransitive) to walk with a lame awkward movement
2. (transitive) to fetter the legs of (a horse) in order to restrict movement
3. to progress unevenly or with difficulty

noun

1. a strap, rope, etc, used to hobble a horse
2. a limping gait

Also (for senses 2, 5): hopple Etymology: 14th Century: probably from Low German; compare Flemish hoppelen, Middle Dutch hobbelen to stammer

ˈhobbler noun