sham·bles
| \ ˈsham-bəlz
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Definition of shambles
1
archaic
: a meat market
2
: slaughterhouse
Examples of shambles in a Sentence
Recent Examples on the Web
By the time of Yeltsin's 1996 re-election campaign, the country was an economic shambles, the incumbent president's health was failing and his government on the verge of collapse. — David Rooney, The Hollywood Reporter, "'Citizen K': Film Review | Venice 2019," 31 Aug. 2019 Iraq is a shambles, having exchanged its domination by Iraqi socialists for domination by Iranian ayatollahs. — Kevin D. Williamson, National Review, "The Age of Miscalculation," 19 Aug. 2019 The president said Iran's economy is already in a shambles because of sanctions already in place. — John Bacon, USA TODAY, "Iran silent on reports of US cyberattack on weapons systems," 23 June 2019 Raqqah was a ghost town, a shambles of pockmarked gray concrete, its residents displaced or dead. — Molly Hennessy-fiske, latimes.com, "Behind the story: A Marine suicide, and then a reckoning," 20 June 2019 The boathouse had burned down, the stables were a shambles and the aging house had broken windows, warped floors, dodgy wiring and some resident mice and chipmunks. — Pam Kragen, San Diego Union-Tribune, "Couple shares 25-year love affair with Frank Lloyd Wright home," 18 June 2019 When Poland embarked on this remarkable journey, its economy was in a shambles. — Mateusz Morawiecki, WSJ, "Meet the Polish Tiger," 30 Sep. 2018 The party is in a shambles in Southern California, one of its key regions for regaining control of the House. — Andrew Sullivan, Daily Intelligencer, "Is the World Done With Liberal Democracy?," 1 June 2018 With his transcript in shambles, Joe went back to the Philadelphia area where his family lived and took a job at a paper company alongside his father. — Jim Stingl, Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, "Stingl: Marquette University dropout in 1974 finally went back and is graduating at age 65," 18 May 2018These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'shambles.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
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More Definitions for shambles
shambles
noun
English Language Learners Definition of shambles
: a place or state in which there is great confusion, disorder, or destruction
shambles
noun plural
sham·bles
| \ ˈsham-bəlz
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Kids Definition of shambles
: 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.
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