kibble

¹ American  

[kib-uhl] / ˈkɪb əl /

verb (used with object)

kibbled, kibbling

1. to grind or divide into particles or pellets, as coarse-ground meal or prepared dry dog food.

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noun

1. grains or pellets resulting from a kibbling process.

kibble ² American  

[kib-uhl] / ˈkɪb əl /

noun

British.

1. an iron bucket used in mines for hoisting ore.

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kibble ¹ British  

/ ˈkɪbəl /

verb

1. (tr) to grind into small pieces

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noun

1. ground meal formed into pellets and used as pet food

kibble ² British  

/ ˈkɪbəl /

noun

1. a bucket used in wells or in mining for hoisting

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Etymology

Origin of kibble¹

First recorded in 1780–90; origin uncertain

Origin of kibble²

First recorded in 1665–75, kibble is from the German word Kübel pail, vat

Explanation

Kibble is dry pet food. If your dog is sitting next to her dish and looking up at you with big, mournful eyes, she wants you to give her some kibble. You might be more likely to call kibble "dog food" or "cat food" — or even "guinea pig food." It's an all-purpose term for any kind of meal or feed that's formed into hard pellets, and it's a very common type of food for feeding pets and livestock. This word dates from around 1955, from a now uncommon verb meaning "to grind or chop coarsely."

Example Sentences

Days after Jayme Stephen noticed a dent on the sole of her foot from the kibble, she began to experience extreme pain and her foot swelled to three times its original size.

From BBC • May 10, 2026

I knew it would be way more expensive than dry kibble.

From The Wall Street Journal • Jan. 28, 2026

A few days before their park outing, Zero gave Whitfield a scare when he stopped eating his kibble.

From Los Angeles Times • Jul. 23, 2025

Sykes gives her indoor cat, Freckles, regular kibble exclusively.

From Salon • Feb. 12, 2025

But all of a sudden I got kibble spilling down the front of me.

From "The Truth as Told by Mason Buttle" by Leslie Connor

Related Words

• grate
• pulverize
• reduce
• scrape