metamorphosed limestone, consisting chiefly of recrystallized calcite or dolomite, capable of taking a high polish, occurring in a wide range of colors and variegations and used in sculpture and architecture.
any variety of this stone.
Carrara marble.
an object made of or carved from this stone, especially a sculpture.
Renaissance marbles.
a piece of this stone.
the fallen marbles of Roman ruins.
(not in technical use) any of various breccias or other stones that take a high polish and show a variegated pattern.
a marbled appearance or pattern; marbling.
The woodwork had a greenish marble.
anything resembling marble in hardness, coldness, smoothness, etc..
a brow of marble.
something lacking in warmth or feeling.
a little ball made of stone, baked clay, glass, porcelain, agate, or steel, especially for use in games.
(used with a singular verb) marbles, a game for children in which a marble is propelled by the thumb to hit another marble so as to drive it out of a circle drawn or scratched on the ground.
Slang. marbles, normal rational faculties; sanity; wits; common sense.
to have all one's marbles; to lose one's marbles.
consisting or made of marble.
like marble, as in hardness, coldness, smoothness, etc.
lacking in warmth, compassion, or sympathy.
marble heart.
of variegated or mottled color.
to color or stain like variegated marble.
to apply a decorative pattern to (paper, the edges of a book, etc.) by transferring oil pigments floating on water.
a hard crystalline metamorphic rock resulting from the recrystallization of a limestone: takes a high polish and is used for building and sculpture
( as modifier )
a marble bust
a block or work of art of marble
a small round glass or stone ball used in playing marbles
informal to succeed or do the right thing
informal to die
cold, hard, or unresponsive
white like some kinds of marble
1150–1200; Middle English marbel, dissimilated variant of Old English marmel (in marmelstān marble stone) < Latin marmor < Greek mármaros, akin to marmaírein to sparkle
Marble is a very hard rock that's a particular type of limestone. Fancy lobbies (and even bathrooms) are often lined with marble. Marble's unique qualities make it a popular stone for artists and kitchen designers alike — the white stone statues you find in most museums, some of them dating back to ancient Greece and Rome, are carved from white marble. High-end kitchen counters are often made from polished slabs of darker colored marble. A single marble is a glass ball swirled with marble-like colors, and "to marble" is to paint with similar swirls and whorls.
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
Noth’s bedroom offers a more pared-back aesthetic, with enough space to accommodate a king-sized bed, while the adjoining full bathroom features marble finishes.
From MarketWatch ● Sep. 28, 2026
He's spruced up the White House, lamented that his new ballroom won't be finished in time and ensured a new marble helipad is ready to show off to the Chinese leader.
From BBC ● Sep. 24, 2026
Though Cooper has yet to issue a ruling, officials have now come up with 10 different ways using similar language to install Trump’s name on the exterior marble.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 14, 2026
And by “they,” I mean Chris Stewart, who is the man behind the marble, as it were.
From Salon ● Aug. 21, 2026
New Yorkers who attended a Fox sisters’ circle were led from the Barnum Hotel’s lobby, down a series of marble hallways to one of its largest parlors.
From "American Spirits" by Barb Rosenstock
Among them are Tehran's Marble Palace, the Teymourtash house and the sprawling Saadabad Palace complex in northern Tehran, a former royal residence set within a vast park and home to several museums.
From Barron's ● May 10, 2026
Former staff writer Steve Marble contributed to this report.
From Los Angeles Times ● Dec. 28, 2025
In a Truth Social post this week, Trump bragged about “potential Marble armrests for the seating” at what he called “The Trump Kennedy Center,” declaring the design “unlike anything ever done or seen before.”
From Salon ● Dec. 27, 2025
Different, yes; lesser, no, as is clear from “Myth and Marble: Ancient Roman Sculpture From the Torlonia Collection,” at the Kimbell Art Museum.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 22, 2025
Marble statues of the Goddess of Beauty and famous Belles peek out of every corner.
From "The Belles" by Dhonielle Clayton
It featured a futuristic barren desert-like landscape filled with sand punctuated by large colored glass bulbs that resemble marbles.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 28, 2026
Houdon’s marbles of Jefferson and Washington have had monumental afterlives, impacting depictions of presidents from the Lincoln Memorial to Mount Rushmore.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jun. 12, 2026
But in daily life, ordinary objects such as rocks, dust, or marbles appear to follow the predictable laws of classical physics, staying in one place and moving along defined paths.
From Science Daily ● May 11, 2026
But Lee marbles other theories and indictments into his meat concerning the privilege of extreme emotion and behavioral honesty.
From Salon ● Apr. 23, 2026
Olmsted looked worn and gray, except for his eyes, which gleamed beneath his bald skull like marbles of lapis.
From "The Devil in the White City" by Erik Larson
"When a dam blocks stream passage, threatened and endangered salmon suffer; when forests with nesting trees for marbled murrelets are logged, threatened murrelets slide closer to extinction," the complaint said.
From Barron's ● Jul. 14, 2026
A travel set of marbled beard and mustache combs that’s as handsome as dad himself.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jun. 12, 2026
Turkey's home strip features a marbled pattern, inspired by the Turkish paper marbling art of Ebru.
From BBC ● Apr. 22, 2026
Then they cut to present day, and the marbled halls of the once-great Truth Teller newspaper are empty.
From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 3, 2025
That show’s Library was a monumental edifice, with towering marbled halls and tinkling fountains, like the lobby of some five-star hotel.
From "Circumference" by Nicholas Nicastro
“A5 Wagyu has more fat, which you see from the marbling inside. That’s what determines the highest grade.”
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 22, 2026
Turkey's home strip features a marbled pattern, inspired by the Turkish paper marbling art of Ebru.
From BBC ● Apr. 22, 2026
Does it require attention to marbling and dry aging?
From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 31, 2025
The psychedelic swirls of the marbling infinity puzzles might seem daunting, he added, but there are zones of color that lead the way, one piece to the next.
From New York Times ● Dec. 9, 2022
“Now we will add the cocoa to the rest of the batter and swirl it all around. That’s the marbling part. Maybe you want to do that?”
From "Louisiana's Way Home" by Kate DiCamillo
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.
