cobblestone
Americannoun
noun
Other Word Forms
Etymology
Origin of cobblestone
First recorded in 1400–50, cobblestone is from the late Middle English word cobylstone. See cobble 1, stone
Explanation
Cobblestones are rounded rocks that were commonly used to pave streets starting in the 15th century. In some very old cities, you can still walk and drive over cobblestones. Cobblestone is often used to describe a square granite paver known as a sett or a Belgian block. Authentic cobblestones, which are round and slightly irregular in size, were used as they were found in nature rather than being carved into shape the way setts are. The word comes from cob, or "lump." Strolling down a cobblestone street can feel a little precarious, especially if you're wearing high-heeled shoes!
Vocabulary lists containing cobblestone
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
On Sunday, a friend took the couple through their vows as they were standing on a cobblestone ledge at the foot of a waterfall on the 121-year-old Ruskin property about an hour out of Nashville.
From Los Angeles Times • May 15, 2026
“The Punch Bowl,” made in late 1944, when Germany was on its knees, portrayed a “good old German never-never land of unspoiled cobblestone streets.”
From The Wall Street Journal • Mar. 13, 2026
A few distant screeches of brooms on cobblestone, that’s all.
From Salon • Nov. 8, 2025
I slipped in the rain on a cobblestone street in London and severely broke my wrist.
From Los Angeles Times • Aug. 12, 2025
The marketplace was a cobblestone square about half a block wide surrounded by little shops, all cast aglow with torches.
From "Breadcrumbs" by Anne Ursu
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.
