Definition

1. Noun:

   • An uneven, limping, or awkward manner of walking: A "hobble" is the gait that results from pain, injury, or restraint in the legs or feet.
   • A rope, strap, or fetter used to restrict movement: A "hobble" is a device, often used on horses, to tie the legs together to prevent free movement or wandering.

2. Verb:

   • To walk in an uneven, halting, or painful way: To "hobble" means to walk with difficulty, typically due to injury or physical limitation.
   • To tie the legs of an animal together to restrict movement: To "hobble" an animal is to fasten its legs to limit how far it can walk or run.
   • To hamper, impede, or restrict the progress or action of someone or something: To "hobble" can mean to create difficulties that slow down or cripple an activity, plan, or person.

Usage Examples

• Noun:

  • He walked with a noticeable hobble after twisting his ankle.
  • The rancher put a hobble on the horse's front legs to keep it from straying.

• Verb:

  • The injured hiker had to hobble back to camp.
  • They hobbled the goat so it could graze but not leave the yard.
  • Strict regulations can hobble innovation in a fast-moving industry.

Advanced Usage

• "to hobble together": To fasten or join in a makeshift or awkward way, often implying a temporary or unstable solution.

  • They hobbled together a truce, but it was unlikely to last.

• "to be hobbled by": To be severely restricted or handicapped by a particular factor.

  • The research team was hobbled by a lack of funding.

Variants and Related Words

• Hobbling (adj/gerund): The act of walking with a limp or the state of being impeded.

  • His hobbling gait was a clear sign he needed to rest.

• Hobbler (n): A person or thing that hobbles. (Less common)

Synonyms

• Verb (to walk lamely): Limp, shuffle, falter, totter.
• Verb (to restrict): Fetter, shackle, hamper, impede, hinder, cripple, handicap.

Related Phrasal Verbs/Constructions

(Note: "Hobble" is not commonly used in standard phrasal verb constructions. Its meanings are typically expressed directly.)

Related Idioms

• "Hobble along": To continue moving or progressing with great difficulty or in a limited way.

  • The project is just hobbling along without proper leadership.

• "Hobbled by debt/red tape/etc.": A common figurative use meaning severely constrained by a specific problem.

  • The small business was hobbled by debt from the start.

Noun

1. the uneven manner of walking that results from an injured leg
2. a shackle for the ankles or feet

Verb

1. strap the foreleg and hind leg together on each side (of a horse) in order to keep the legs on the same side moving in unison
   • hobble race horses
2. hamper the action or progress of
   • The chairman was hobbled by the all-powerful dean
3. walk impeded by some physical limitation or injury
   • The old woman hobbles down to the store every day