metamorphosed limestone, consisting chiefly of recrystallized calcite or dolomite, capable of taking a high polish, occurring in a wide range of colors and variegations and used in sculpture and architecture.
any variety of this stone.
Carrara marble.
an object made of or carved from this stone, especially a sculpture.
Renaissance marbles.
a piece of this stone.
the fallen marbles of Roman ruins.
(not in technical use) any of various breccias or other stones that take a high polish and show a variegated pattern.
a marbled appearance or pattern; marbling.
The woodwork had a greenish marble.
anything resembling marble in hardness, coldness, smoothness, etc..
a brow of marble.
something lacking in warmth or feeling.
a little ball made of stone, baked clay, glass, porcelain, agate, or steel, especially for use in games.
(used with a singular verb) marbles, a game for children in which a marble is propelled by the thumb to hit another marble so as to drive it out of a circle drawn or scratched on the ground.
Slang. marbles, normal rational faculties; sanity; wits; common sense.
to have all one's marbles; to lose one's marbles.
consisting or made of marble.
like marble, as in hardness, coldness, smoothness, etc.
lacking in warmth, compassion, or sympathy.
marble heart.
of variegated or mottled color.
to color or stain like variegated marble.
to apply a decorative pattern to (paper, the edges of a book, etc.) by transferring oil pigments floating on water.
a hard crystalline metamorphic rock resulting from the recrystallization of a limestone: takes a high polish and is used for building and sculpture
( as modifier )
a marble bust
a block or work of art of marble
a small round glass or stone ball used in playing marbles
informal to succeed or do the right thing
informal to die
cold, hard, or unresponsive
white like some kinds of marble
1150–1200; Middle English marbel, dissimilated variant of Old English marmel (in marmelstān marble stone) < Latin marmor < Greek mármaros, akin to marmaírein to sparkle
Marble is a very hard rock that's a particular type of limestone. Fancy lobbies (and even bathrooms) are often lined with marble. Marble's unique qualities make it a popular stone for artists and kitchen designers alike — the white stone statues you find in most museums, some of them dating back to ancient Greece and Rome, are carved from white marble. High-end kitchen counters are often made from polished slabs of darker colored marble. A single marble is a glass ball swirled with marble-like colors, and "to marble" is to paint with similar swirls and whorls.
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
“If we take a bite of that apple of knowledge, is that what’s going to kick us out of this blue marble of Eden … that we call Earth?”
From Salon ● Aug. 3, 2026
Certain types of marble might not be able to withstand the standard wear and tear of family life.
From MarketWatch ● Aug. 1, 2026
In collaboration with artist Niki Haas, the space features elegant marble furnishings while its exterior is classic brick.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 31, 2026
But its soaring atriums decorated with onyx and green marble could hardly be better calculated to induce jealousy in Trump, who frequently raves about the opulent dwellings of other foreign leaders.
From Barron's ● Jul. 7, 2026
Her arms and face were plaster made to resemble marble, her gown gilded in gold leaf that, upon catching the burnished sun, transformed her garment into a mantle of fire.
From "The City Beautiful" by Aden Polydoros
Among them are Tehran's Marble Palace, the Teymourtash house and the sprawling Saadabad Palace complex in northern Tehran, a former royal residence set within a vast park and home to several museums.
From Barron's ● May 10, 2026
Former staff writer Steve Marble contributed to this report.
From Los Angeles Times ● Dec. 28, 2025
In a Truth Social post this week, Trump bragged about “potential Marble armrests for the seating” at what he called “The Trump Kennedy Center,” declaring the design “unlike anything ever done or seen before.”
From Salon ● Dec. 27, 2025
Stewart’s Marble Palace and Macy’s revolutionized retail by offering fixed prices, return policies and vast selections, essentially bringing a long street of shops under one roof.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 27, 2025
Marble columns and arches supported a great copper dome.
From "Scythe" by Neal Shusterman
Houdon’s Franklin bust exists in several autograph versions, including the marbles at New York’s Metropolitan Museum of Art and the Philadelphia Museum of Art and two plaster versions in European collections.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jun. 12, 2026
If two marbles are painted different colors, for example, you can track which one moved where.
From Science Daily ● May 9, 2026
"The other founders refused to turn the keys of artificial intelligence over to one person," Savitt continued, adding: "When they refused to let OpenAI be absorbed" Musk "took his marbles and went home."
From BBC ● Apr. 28, 2026
But Lee marbles other theories and indictments into his meat concerning the privilege of extreme emotion and behavioral honesty.
From Salon ● Apr. 23, 2026
Then Ira knocked them off balance by picking off marbles at the edge.
From Full of Beans by Jennifer L. Holm
"When a dam blocks stream passage, threatened and endangered salmon suffer; when forests with nesting trees for marbled murrelets are logged, threatened murrelets slide closer to extinction," the complaint said.
From Barron's ● Jul. 14, 2026
Turkey's home strip features a marbled pattern, inspired by the Turkish paper marbling art of Ebru.
From BBC ● Apr. 22, 2026
So said Pope Leo XIV to ambassadors from around the world in a marbled hall above the main entrance to St. Peter’s Basilica in January.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Mar. 21, 2026
Yet, despite the veteran actor having the marbled profile of a star from Hollywood’s heyday, some may have a difficult time placing exactly where they know him from.
From Salon ● Feb. 20, 2025
He sat staring at the marbled cover of the book, trying without success to shut the voice out of his consciousness.
From "1984" by George Orwell
Turkey's home strip features a marbled pattern, inspired by the Turkish paper marbling art of Ebru.
From BBC ● Apr. 22, 2026
This heritage breed is prized for its marbling, tenderness, and genuinely great flavor.
From Salon ● Dec. 4, 2025
This creation combined the centuries-old craft of paper marbling with a tried-and-true Nervous System invention: the infinity puzzle.
From New York Times ● Dec. 9, 2022
More marbling means more flavor, but it also means you need to wait a little longer for your ribs to be fall-apart tender.
From Washington Post ● Jul. 8, 2022
“Now we will add the cocoa to the rest of the batter and swirl it all around. That’s the marbling part. Maybe you want to do that?”
From "Louisiana's Way Home" by Kate DiCamillo
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
