cobbler

American  

[kob-ler] / ˈkɒb lər /

noun

cobblers plural

1. a person who mends shoes.

2. a deep-dish fruit pie with a rich biscuit crust, usually only on top.

3. an iced drink made of wine or liquor, fruits, sugar, etc.

4. a fabric rejected because of defective dyeing or finishing.

5. Rare. mummichog.

6. Archaic. a clumsy workman.

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cobbler ¹ British  

/ ˈkɒblə /

noun

1. a sweetened iced drink, usually made from fruit and wine or liqueur

2. a hot dessert made of fruit covered with a rich cakelike crust

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cobbler ² British  

/ ˈkɒblə /

noun

1. a person who makes or mends shoes

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cobbler Idioms  

1. see stick to one's last.

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Other Word Forms

Noun Inflected Forms

• cobblers
  plural

Etymology

Origin of cobbler

First recorded in 1250–1300; Middle English cobelere, equivalent to cobel, of unknown origin, + -ere -er ¹ ( def. )

Explanation

A cobbler is someone who fixes shoes. A cobbler is also a type of fruit pie. Context is everything with this word! If you give a pie a broken shoe, don’t expect results. Cobblers mend shoes. If your heel is falling off or there’s a rip in your shoe, a cobbler can help you out. These days, people are more likely to buy a new pair of shoes than fix an old one, but cobblers used to be very common. A cobbler is also a delicious pie with rich biscuit dough on top and fruit underneath. Apple cobbler and peach cobbler are extra yummy with ice cream on top.

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

cobbler cobblers

“Girl dessert,” meanwhile, can either refer to a single-serving recipe for, say, peach cobbler or chocolate cake, or to an array of different treats—like popcorn, chocolate and candy—combined in a bowl.

From The Wall Street Journal ● May 14, 2026

A BBC North West investigation found a catfish species, known as pangasius or river cobbler, being sold in the region's chippies without customers being fully aware of what they were buying.

From BBC ● Apr. 30, 2026

In “The Black Bonspiel of Willie MacCrimmon,” which was also adapted for television, a cobbler from a small town in rural Alberta strikes a deal with the devil to trade his soul for curling success.

From Los Angeles Times ● Dec. 28, 2025

Francis came into the collection a few years after the 2008 death of Pasquale Di Fabrizio, an Italian cobbler known in Los Angeles as the "shoemaker to the stars."

From Barron's ● Oct. 26, 2025

In the process of becoming such an industrious cobbler, the sheepherder neglected his animals, his fields, his house—everything had fallen into disrepair.

From "The Milagro Beanfield War" by John Nichols

Nor need they feel beholden to cupcake makers, cobblers, tax preparers or manufacturers of cheap lingerie.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jan. 9, 2026

With his aging rockstar looks, Francis says in darker moments he wishes he had taken the advice of some of the old cobblers who taught him the trade.

From Barron's ● Oct. 26, 2025

Removing the top of the box, he revealed two carved wooden forms known as shoe lasts that cobblers use to make their wares.

From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 24, 2025

Ravidass was born in the 14th century in a village near Varnasi, India, to a family of cobblers and tanners who belonged to the then-untouchable or leather-working caste known as “chamars.”

From Seattle Times ● May 29, 2023

I learned how to make a simple skirt as well as to bake peach and cherry cobblers, crisscrossing the dough decoratively across the top.

From "Reaching for the Moon" by Katherine Johnson