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
The word has a common origin with Isl. ballaðr, Fr. boulet, Sc. boule, in Doug.
From The Lay of Havelok the Dane by Unknown
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
The case was brought in 2017 by Robert Boule, who owned the Smuggler’s Inn, a bed-and-breakfast located in Washington state along the Canadian border.
From Washington Post ● Jun. 8, 2022
In 2014, inn owner Robert Boule clashed with border patrol agent Erik Egbert over a guest from Turkey who had raised suspicions.
From Seattle Times ● Jun. 8, 2022
Mr. Boule, meanwhile, was convicted in a Canadian court in December on charges of trafficking 11 Afghans and Syrians, charging between $200 and $700 apiece, Justice Thomas wrote.
From Washington Times ● Jun. 8, 2022
The Boule had little or no power, however.
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.
