pebble

American  

[peb-uhl] / ˈpɛb əl /

noun

1. a small, rounded stone, especially one worn smooth by the action of water.

2. Also called pebble leather.  leather that has been given a granulated surface.

3. any granulated or crinkled surface, especially of a textile.

4. a transparent colorless rock crystal used for the lenses of eyeglasses.

5. a lens made from this crystal.

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verb (used with object)

pebbled, pebbling

1. to prepare (leather) so as to have a granulated surface.

2. to pelt with or as with pebbles.

pebble British  

/ ˈpɛbəl /

noun

1. 1. a small smooth rounded stone, esp one worn by the action of water

   2. geology a rock fragment, often rounded, with a diameter of 4–64 mm and thus smaller than a cobble but larger than a granule

2. 1. a transparent colourless variety of rock crystal, used for making certain lenses

   2. such a lens

3. informal (modifier) (of a lens or of spectacles) thick, with a high degree of magnification or distortion

4. 1. a grainy irregular surface, esp on leather

   2. leather having such a surface

5. informal a troublesome or obstinate person or animal

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verb

1. to pave, cover, or pelt with pebbles

2. to impart a grainy surface to (leather)

pebble Scientific  

/ pĕb′əl /

1. A rock fragment larger than a granule and smaller than a cobble. Pebbles have a diameter between 4 and 64 mm (0.16 and 2.56 inches) and are often rounded.

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pebble Idioms  

1. see not the only fish in the sea (pebble on the beach).

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Other Word Forms

Derived Forms

• unpebbled
  adjective
• pebbly
  adjective

Etymology

Origin of pebble

First recorded in 1250–1300; Middle English pibbil, puble, pobble; compare Old English pæbbel (in placenames), papel-, popel- (in compounds); phonological relations unclear

Explanation

Pebbles are the small, round stones you might find on a beach. If you want a pet rock, a smooth pebble would be a good choice. A pebble beach might not be quite as soft underfoot as a sandy one, but pebbles tend to be smooth and rounded — unlike jagged-edged rocks. A beach covered with smooth pebbles is known as a "shingle beach." The origin of the word pebble is a mystery, although some suspect a connection to the Latin papula, "pustule, pimple, or swelling."

Example Sentences

Yet as I wrangled them into my closet, something kept nagging at me like a pebble in an insole: Bernie Sanders’ eye-rolling dismissal outside the Senate elevator.

From Slate • Jun. 5, 2026

"Last night isn't a pebble, it is not even a grain of sand. It goes against the whole ethos of why VAR was introduced."

From BBC • May 14, 2026

It’s a triangular pebble with smoothed edges that I plucked from a pile of gravel in northern Minnesota.

From The Wall Street Journal • Jan. 16, 2026

“You throw a pebble in New York, you hit someone in therapy,” she laughs.

From Salon • Oct. 24, 2025

My foot slipped on mud as I chucked another pebble at Fred’s house.

From "The Line Tender" by Kate Allen

Related Words

• earth
• gravel
• lava
• metal
• rubble
• slab