cobble

¹ American  

[kob-uhl] / ˈkɒb əl /

verb (used with object)

cobbled, cobbling

1. to mend (shoes, boots, etc.); patch.

2. to put together roughly or clumsily.

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cobble ² American  

[kob-uhl] / ˈkɒb əl /

noun

1. a cobblestone.

2. cobbles, coal in lumps larger than a pebble and smaller than a boulder.

3. Metalworking.

   1. a defect in a rolled piece resulting from loss of control over its movement.

   2. Slang. a piece showing bad workmanship.

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verb (used with object)

cobbled, cobbling

1. to pave with cobblestones.

cobble ³ American  

[kob-uhl] / ˈkɒb əl /

noun

1. New England, New York State, and New Jersey. (especially in placenames) a rounded hill.

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cobble ¹ British  

/ ˈkɒbəl /

noun

1. short for cobblestone

2. geology a rock fragment, often rounded, with a diameter of 64–256 mm and thus smaller than a boulder but larger than a pebble

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verb

1. (tr) to pave (a road) with cobblestones

cobble ² British  

/ ˈkɒbəl /

verb

1. to make or mend (shoes)

2. to put together clumsily

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cobble Scientific  

/ kŏb′əl /

1. A rock fragment larger than a pebble and smaller than a boulder. Pebbles have a diameter between 64 and 256 mm (2.56 and 10.24 inches) and are often rounded.

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Other Word Forms

• cobbled adjective

Etymology

Origin of cobble¹

First recorded in 1490–1500; apparently back formation from cobbler

Origin of cobble²

First recorded in 1595–1605; of uncertain origin; perhaps cob + -le; cobblestone

Origin of cobble³

First recorded in 1885–95; perhaps from cobble ²

Example Sentences

Her latest black comedy takes the viewer on a tour of Vienna's Baroque architecture and cobbled streets, as well into the provinces of the Habsburg Empire.

From Barron's

Now, I’m the one who must cobble together an agenda if I want even a fraction of that payback.

From The Wall Street Journal

The Italian capital's umbrella pines are as much a part of the landscape as the ruins and cobbled streets, and residents are fiercely attached to them.

From Barron's

She comes only once a week, paid for by whatever funds the clinic can cobble together.

From Los Angeles Times

“In my opinion, the time has come to no longer just try and cobble together programs here and there just to get by,” Alvarez said.

From Los Angeles Times

Related Words

• assemble
• complete
• construct
• create
• fabricate
• mass-produce
• synthesize