shamble
to walk slowly and awkwardly
To walk in a slow, awkward way, with a shuffling or dragging movement rather than confident steps.
a very messy or badly organized situation
A condition of severe disorder, confusion, or ruin; in modern English this sense is most often expressed with the plural form shambles.
an old word for a slaughterhouse
A slaughterhouse or a place where meat is prepared and sold, especially in older usage (often as the shambles).
- Base: shamble
- 3rd Person Singular: shambles
- Present Participle: shambling
- Past: shambled
in shambles
1in complete disorder or ruin
very messy or badly damaged
- Our travel plans were in shambles after the storm.
- The team’s defense was in shambles without its captain.
- The company was in shambles after the failed product launch.
- My plans are in shambles.
make a shambles of [something]
1ruin by doing badly
to do something very badly
- They made a shambles of the presentation by arguing on stage.
- I made a shambles of the sauce and had to start again.
- The contractor made a shambles of the kitchen remodel.
- He made a shambles of the report.
make a shambles of [something]
1do something very badly
do something very badly and ruin it
- I made a shambles of my presentation by skipping half the slides.
- They made a shambles of the booking process and lost our reservation.
- He made a shambles of the job interview by arriving an hour late.
- I made a shambles of the test.
shamble along
1walk slowly and awkwardly
to walk forward slowly and awkwardly
- We shambled along the path, too tired to talk.
- The old man shambled along with a cane.
- In the movie, the zombies shambled along the street.
- The dog shambled along behind me.
shamble off
1walk away awkwardly
to walk away slowly and awkwardly
- He shambled off to bed after the night shift.
- The child shambled off, embarrassed by the mistake.
- When the meeting ended, everyone shambled off in silence.
- She shambled off to her room.