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gravel

[ grav-uhl ]
/ ˈgræv əl /
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See synonyms for: gravel / graveled / graveling / gravelled on Thesaurus.com

noun
small stones and pebbles, or a mixture of these with sand.
Pathology.
  1. multiple small calculi formed in the kidneys.
  2. the disease characterized by such concretions.
verb (used with object), grav·eled, grav·el·ing or (especially British) grav·elled, grav·el·ling.
adjective
harsh and grating: a gravel voice.
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Origin of gravel

1250–1300; Middle English <Old French gravele, diminutive of grave sandy shore, perhaps <Celtic; cf. grave4, growan

OTHER WORDS FROM gravel

WORDS THAT MAY BE CONFUSED WITH gravel

gavel, gravel , grovel
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

How to use gravel in a sentence

British Dictionary definitions for gravel

gravel
/ (ˈɡrævəl) /

noun
an unconsolidated mixture of rock fragments that is coarser than sand
geology a mixture of rock fragments with diameters in the range 4–76 mm
pathol small rough calculi in the kidneys or bladder
verb -els, -elling or -elled or US -els, -eling or -eled (tr)
to cover with gravel
to confound or confuse
US informal to annoy or disturb

Derived forms of gravel

gravelish, adjective

Word Origin for gravel

C13: from Old French gravele, diminutive of grave gravel, perhaps of Celtic origin
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
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