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.
Luxe flooring includes slabs of Italian marble and oak, while the new kitchen serves up top-of-the-line appliances and marble counters, and the bathrooms are clad in marble.
From MarketWatch ● Jun. 26, 2026
Moving to the main living spaces, the chef’s kitchen features a stunning marble island, neutral-toned cabinetry, and state-of-the-art appliances.
From MarketWatch ● Jun. 23, 2026
From a gas crater dubbed the "Gateway to Hell" to the shimmering marble buildings of its capital, Turkmenistan is tentatively opening up to tourists after decades of isolation.
From Barron's ● Jun. 23, 2026
Had I already seen that statue or did it just look like another visage also rendered in marble a few galleries back?
From Los Angeles Times ● Jun. 17, 2026
Even in the summer the chill never left the marble grave slabs on the floor.
From "The Hiding Place" by Corrie ten Boom
To reach the start of the parade, organisers recommend using Hyde Park Corner and Marble Arch Underground stations.
From BBC ● Jul. 2, 2026
Protesters carrying placards with slogans like "no to racism" and "you cannot divide us" marched from near Marble Arch to Whitehall near the UK parliament for a planned rally.
From Barron's ● Mar. 28, 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
Marble cubicles had been cut into either side of the tunnel.
From "Aru Shah and the End of Time" by Roshani Chokshi
To confirm he still has his marbles, he was asked to draw a clock face displaying the time 10 minutes after 11.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jun. 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
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
Then they would toss the marbles to one side and quickly grab more bits of cloud and start over again.
From "James and the Giant Peach" by Roald Dahl
"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
Turkey's home strip features a marbled pattern, inspired by the Turkish paper marbling art of Ebru.
From BBC ● Apr. 22, 2026
So said Pope Leo XIV to ambassadors from around the world in a marbled hall above the main entrance to St. Peter’s Basilica in January.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Mar. 21, 2026
You can also swirl the jam directly into the whipped cream for a marbled effect that looks fancier than it is.
From Salon ● Jul. 29, 2025
The parking lot itself was nothing but a square of cracked asphalt, marbled with weeds.
From "The Son of Neptune" by Rick Riordan
Turkey's home strip features a marbled pattern, inspired by the Turkish paper marbling art of Ebru.
From BBC ● Apr. 22, 2026
All of these pieces have dramatic warps, waves, marbling and imperfections that make them unique and add to their beauty and history.
From Los Angeles Times ● Apr. 8, 2026
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
Others included marbling using carrageen moss or jewels or gold to signify their intended owners’ wealth and status.
From Washington Post ● Dec. 3, 2022
Overhead, the golden streaks marbling the clouds tarnished first to bronze, then to indigo.
From "The City Beautiful" by Aden Polydoros
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.
