boulder

or bowl·der

[bohl-der]

SEE MORE SYNONYMS FOR boulder ON THESAURUS.COM

noun

a detached and rounded or worn rock, especially a large one.

Nearby words

Origin of boulder

1610–20; short for boulder stone; Middle English bulderston < Scandinavian; compare dialectal Swedish bullersten big stone (in a stream), equivalent to buller rumbling noise (< Old Swedish bulder) + sten stone

Related formsboul·dered, adjectiveboul·der·y, adjective

Can be confusedbolder boulderboulder cobblestone granule pebble rock stone

Boulder

[bohl-der]

noun

a city in N Colorado.

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019

Examples from the Web for boulder

[Tatum laughs] Like I found the three other artsy goth kids at Boulder and hung out with them.
Channing Tatum and Jonah Hill on ‘22 Jump Street,’ Penis Kissing, and Julie Andrews’s Boobs|Kevin Fallon|June 10, 2014|DAILY BEAST
I did one semester at Boulder, which was more a stereotypical, American collegiate experience.
Channing Tatum and Jonah Hill on ‘22 Jump Street,’ Penis Kissing, and Julie Andrews’s Boobs|Kevin Fallon|June 10, 2014|DAILY BEAST
But even at Boulder I found the artsy kids and hung out with them.
Channing Tatum and Jonah Hill on ‘22 Jump Street,’ Penis Kissing, and Julie Andrews’s Boobs|Kevin Fallon|June 10, 2014|DAILY BEAST
Boulder was attractive because "it's beautiful and peaceful and people are nice—the opposite of New York—and my mother's there."
New York’s Nanny-State E-Cig Ban|Olivia Nuzzi|December 20, 2013|DAILY BEAST

Talia Eisenberg is a self-described former New York “party girl” who moved to Boulder Colorado to get healthy.
E-Cigarettes, Facing Ban, Still Figuring Out What They Want to Be|Alex Halperin|December 19, 2013|DAILY BEAST
The first obstacle was a 228 great spur of boulder conglomerate.
Kashmir|Sir Francis Edward Younghusband
Stewart gave Marie a hand here and there, and even paused to let her sit on a boulder and rest.
The Street of Seven Stars|Mary Roberts Rinehart
Her husband discovered her hanging by the cord, and, angered by her infidelity, threw a boulder at her.
North Dakota|Various
Jack returned to the creek, and crossing on the stepping-stones walked out on the point beyond and sat down on a boulder.
The Huntress|Hulbert Footner
For ten minutes or more, whilst our fate hung in the balance, we sat on a boulder and watched.
The Escaping Club|A. J. Evans

British Dictionary definitions for boulder

boulder

noun

a smooth rounded mass of rock that has a diameter greater than 25cm and that has been shaped by erosion and transported by ice or water from its original position

geology a rock fragment with a diameter greater than 256 mm and thus bigger than a cobble

Derived Formsbouldery, adjective

Word Origin for boulder

C13: probably of Scandinavian origin; compare Swedish dialect bullersten, from Old Swedish bulder rumbling + sten stone

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Word Origin and History for boulder

boulder

1670s, variant of Middle English bulder (c.1300), from a Scandinavian source akin to Swedish dialectal bullersten "noisy stone" (large stone in a stream, causing water to roar around it), from bullra "to roar" + sten "stone." Or the first element might be from *buller- "round object," from Proto-Germanic *bul-, from PIE *bhel- (2) "to inflate, swell" (see bole).

boulder

or bowl·der

noun

RELATED WORDS

Nearby words

Origin of boulder

Boulder

noun

Examples from the Web for boulder

boulder

noun

Word Origin for boulder

boulder