hobble
noun · verb
Simple meaning
To walk lame.
Pronunciation
Say it like this:
hahbuhlSay the bold part a little louder.
IPA pronunciation (US)
ˈhɑbəl
This word is pronounced essentially the same in American and British English, so one transcription covers both.
IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) is a standard way of writing speech sounds.
Definition
Everyday modern meanings first, grouped by part of speech.
noun
chiefly in the plural
One of the short straps tied between the legs of unfenced horses, allowing them to wander short distances but preventing them from running off.
An unsteady, off-balance step.
verb
To walk lame, or unevenly.
To disable; to impede.
figurative
To move or proceed roughly or irregularly.
To fetter by tying the legs; to restrict (a horse) with hobbles.
Word Aura™
How this word commonly comes across.
Aura for this meaning
This meaning: One of the short straps tied between the legs of unfenced horses, allowing them to wander short distances but preventing them from running off.
Used this way, hobble is a reasonably familiar word that usually carries little praise or criticism of its own. It usually sounds natural in a wide range of settings.
- Emotional tone
- Neutral
- Formality
- Neutral
- Intensity
- Not strongly marked
- How common
- Moderately common
- Connotation
- Matter-of-fact
- Usage feel
- Neutral and straightforward
Word Aura describes common impressions, not a measurement. Tone changes with sentence, speaker, relationship and situation.
More ways to use hobble
- “The old woman hobbles down to the store every day.”verb
- “The chairman was hobbled by the all-powerful dean.”verb
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Dictionary data from Wiktionary via the Free Dictionary API. Simple meanings, combinations and word intelligence are built from verified reference data, no AI is used to load this page.