a round loaf of bread, usually with a crisp or chewy crust.
Divide the dough into two portions, shape into batards or boules, and place in the refrigerator to rise overnight.
Also called birne. a cylindrical lump of material for synthetic gems, made by the Verneuil process.
a metal ball, usually made out of steel, used in pétanque.
Sometimes boules. pétanque.
the legislative assembly of modern Greece.
(sometimes lowercase) a state legislative, advisory, or administrative council in ancient Greece.
the parliament in modern Greece
the senate of an ancient Greek city-state
First recorded in 1915–20; from French: literally, “a ball”; see origin at bowl 2
1840–50; < Greek: a council, body of chosen ones
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
The display also featured Dahl's personal set of boules, along with his own invention of a magnet on a string, which Dahl used for picking up each boule.
From BBC ● Nov. 24, 2025
Creative director Ian Griffiths’ mood board included silken teddies, Belle Epoque’-inspired boule coats and photos of the French novelist Colette, whose spare style, the British designer said, inspired the collection’s simplicity.
From Seattle Times ● Feb. 22, 2024
"When I think about a boule, I want some open crumb," said Goyoaga, referring to loaves with a light interior featuring regular, consistently dispersed air pockets.
From Salon ● Feb. 8, 2022
Two teams comprised of a mix of islanders and visitors compete to see which can throw a boule around the distance of the island’s only road in the fewest possible throws.
From The Guardian ● Aug. 21, 2019
Chief among these is the Casino Municipale, where, for a price, the sorrowful may obtain oblivion by means of the ingenious game of boule.
From The Man Upstairs and Other Stories by Wodehouse, P. G. (Pelham Grenville)
Harris addressed Trump’s attacks from where she was speaking on Wednesday — the historically African American sorority Sigma Gamma Rho’s 60th International Biennial Boule.
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 1, 2024
Boule had a complicated relationship with federal agents, according to the court’s opinion.
From Washington Post ● Jun. 8, 2022
The inn owner said the agent pushed him and gathered papers involving the guest, and Boule later sued Egbert for violating the 4th Amendment.
From Seattle Times ● Jun. 8, 2022
Mr. Boule then sued under Bivens, saying the agent had used excessive force and violated his First Amendment rights by retaliating.
From Washington Times ● Jun. 8, 2022
The decisions of the assembly were enacted by an executive body called the Boule, or council of five hundred, which contained the closest thing ancient Athens had to members of congress.
From "Words Like Loaded Pistols" by Sam Leith
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.
