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Synonyms

marbles

British  
/ ˈmɑːbəlz /

noun

  1. (functioning as singular) a game in which marbles are rolled at one another, similar to bowls

  2. informal (functioning as plural) wits

    to lose one's marbles

"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

Example Sentences

Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.

Before you scream, burst out laughing, or think I have lost my marbles, of course, there are very big differences between them.

From BBC • Feb. 28, 2026

The simulations track gas behavior at the microscopic level as particles move, collide, and exchange energy, much like marbles striking one another.

From Science Daily • Nov. 10, 2025

The book was clearly fiction — featuring characters such as an absurdly monastic Bolivian radio-novela writer who loses his marbles and begins to confuse his characters and his plots.

From Los Angeles Times • Apr. 13, 2025

You must sort these marbles by color within the test tubes.

From Slate • Dec. 28, 2024

While they ate, everyone except Shirley played marbles or cards and traded bottle caps and pictures of men swinging a stick or wearing one huge glove.

From "In the Year of the Boar and Jackie Robinson" by Bette Bao Lord