shambles

noun

sham·bles ˈsham-bəlz How to pronounce shambles (audio)

plural in form but singular or plural in construction

archaic : a meat market

: slaughterhouse

: a place of mass slaughter or bloodshed

the battlefield became a shambles

: a scene or a state of great destruction : wreckage

the city was a shambles after the bombing

c(1)

: a scene or a state of great disorder or confusion

an economy in shambles

(2)

: great confusion : mess

Did you know?

How does a word meaning "footstool" turn into a word meaning "mess"? Start with the Latin scamillum, meaning "little bench." Modify the spelling and you get the Old English sceamol, meaning "footstool" or "a table used for counting money or exhibiting goods." Alter again to the Middle English shameles, and the meaning can easily become more specific: "a table for the exhibition of meat for sale." Pluralize and you have the base of the 15th-century term shambles, meaning "meat market." A century takes shambles from "meat market" to "slaughterhouse," then to figurative use referring to a place of terrible slaughter or bloodshed (say, a battlefield). The scene of a slaughter can get messy, so it's logical for the word to pick up the modern sense "mess" or "state of great confusion." Transition accomplished.

Example Sentences

Recent Examples on the Web Ashley looks at this shambles of a person every day and sees someone else.

Phil Christman, Harper’s Magazine , 4 Jan. 2022 In the dark, Ms. Ortiz tiptoed through a shambles of overturned cars and shattered glass to her Acura TSX.

New York Times, 2 Dec. 2021 If California looks affordable compared with New York City, why would anyone who can afford to live elsewhere stick around in this shambles of a city?

Andrew Stuttaford, National Review, 10 Apr. 2021 The Shah Squad might be shaking in shambles after the premiere of Bravo's explosive new trailer for The Real Housewives of Salt Lake City season 3.

Joey Nolfi, EW.com, 31 Aug. 2022 The partners emerged with their fortunes mostly intact but their reputations in shambles.

Adam Entous, The New Yorker, 15 Aug. 2022 The Republican party, in shambles, stood shell-shocked at a crossroads.

Laura Jedeed, The New Republic, 9 Aug. 2022 In the zero-sum game of budgets, that means less money for shoring up infrastructure that is already in shambles.

Abrahm Lustgarten, ProPublica, 27 July 2022 In the zero-sum game of budgets, that means less money for shoring up infrastructure that is already in shambles.

New York Times, 27 July 2022 See More

单词	shambles
释义	shambles noun sham·bles ˈsham-bəlz plural in form but singular or plural in construction 1 archaic : a meat market 2 : slaughterhouse 3 a : a place of mass slaughter or bloodshed the battlefield became a shambles b : a scene or a state of great destruction : wreckage the city was a shambles after the bombing c(1) : a scene or a state of great disorder or confusion an economy in shambles (2) : great confusion : mess Did you know? How does a word meaning "footstool" turn into a word meaning "mess"? Start with the Latin scamillum, meaning "little bench." Modify the spelling and you get the Old English sceamol, meaning "footstool" or "a table used for counting money or exhibiting goods." Alter again to the Middle English shameles, and the meaning can easily become more specific: "a table for the exhibition of meat for sale." Pluralize and you have the base of the 15th-century term shambles, meaning "meat market." A century takes shambles from "meat market" to "slaughterhouse," then to figurative use referring to a place of terrible slaughter or bloodshed (say, a battlefield). The scene of a slaughter can get messy, so it's logical for the word to pick up the modern sense "mess" or "state of great confusion." Transition accomplished. Synonyms dump hellhole hole pigpen pigsty sty See all Synonyms & Antonyms Example Sentences Recent Examples on the Web Ashley looks at this shambles of a person every day and sees someone else. Phil Christman, Harper’s Magazine , 4 Jan. 2022 In the dark, Ms. Ortiz tiptoed through a shambles of overturned cars and shattered glass to her Acura TSX. New York Times, 2 Dec. 2021 If California looks affordable compared with New York City, why would anyone who can afford to live elsewhere stick around in this shambles of a city? Andrew Stuttaford, National Review, 10 Apr. 2021 The Shah Squad might be shaking in shambles after the premiere of Bravo's explosive new trailer for The Real Housewives of Salt Lake City season 3. Joey Nolfi, EW.com, 31 Aug. 2022 The partners emerged with their fortunes mostly intact but their reputations in shambles. Adam Entous, The New Yorker, 15 Aug. 2022 The Republican party, in shambles, stood shell-shocked at a crossroads. Laura Jedeed, The New Republic, 9 Aug. 2022 In the zero-sum game of budgets, that means less money for shoring up infrastructure that is already in shambles. Abrahm Lustgarten, ProPublica, 27 July 2022 In the zero-sum game of budgets, that means less money for shoring up infrastructure that is already in shambles. New York Times, 27 July 2022 See More Word History Etymology Middle English shameles, plural of schamel vendor's table, footstool, from Old English sceamol stool, from Latin scamillum, diminutive of scamnum stool, bench; perhaps akin to Sanskrit skambha pillar First Known Use 15th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1 Kids Definition shambles noun plural sham·bles ˈsham-bəlz : a place or scene of disorder or destruction After the party, the house was a shambles. Hint: Shambles can be used as a singular or a plural in writing and speaking. shambles 1 of 2 plural noun 1 as in dump a dirty or messy place this room is a shambles—clean it up right now! Synonyms & Similar Words Relevance dump mess pigsty hellhole hole disarray chaos pigpen sty disorganization disorder hell confusion disarrangement jumble havoc muddle clutter mishmash muss snake pit litter welter mare's nest 2 as in mess a state in which everything is out of order the earthquake left the whole town in a shambles Synonyms & Similar Words mess jumble havoc chaos hell disarray confusion disorder disorganization disarrangement heck tangle disorderliness messiness dishevelment muddle tumble riot welter snake pit anarchy clutter muss maze misorder free-for-all disorderedness misrule labyrinth chance-medley mare's nest lawlessness maelstrom snarl web mishmash shuffle morass hodgepodge storm litter knot miscellany bollix motley medley Antonyms & Near Antonyms system order plan orderliness method pattern shambles 2 of 2 verb present tense third-person singular of shamble as in stumbles to move heavily or clumsily disconsolate and exhausted after losing the match, the wrestler shambled toward the locker room Synonyms & Similar Words stumbles shuffles stomps flounders lurches barges clumps scuffles sloughs trudges drags staggers plods lumps tramps stumps stamps lumbers blunders galumphs pounds hauls weaves scuffs slogs flops flogs totters tromps sways wobbles dodders teeters waddles reels wabbles careens Antonyms & Near Antonyms waltzes slides hangs glides drifts hovers floats whisks coasts wafts breezes poises See More
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shambles

noun

Did you know?

Synonyms

Example Sentences

Word History

Kids Definition

noun plural

plural noun

verb