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

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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

See Examples For:

kibble kibbling

The video shows a woman emerging from a Honda Odyssey parked at 926 W. Park Lane. at 9:15 a.m. on Sept. 8 and laying kibble on the ground near the driver’s-side door of the car.

From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 1, 2026

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

Anyway, before we could respond, he gestured at a TV mounted on the wall, level with the highest shelves groaning with organic kibble and handmade toys, and sang out, “Because there he is!”

From Salon ● May 2, 2026

Suspecting a food sensitivity, my vet recommended a prescription kibble made from hydrolyzed protein, which is broken down into components so small that Bingo’s body wouldn’t recognize them as potential allergens.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jan. 28, 2026

He tossed a pair of dented metal bowls on the floor and filled them with cut-rate kibble from a bargain bag.

From "Dog Squad" by Chris Grabenstein

In the diagram they are called kibbling cones.

From Cocoa and Chocolate Their History from Plantation to Consumer by Arthur William Knapp

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Related Words

• grate
• pulverize
• reduce
• scrape

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