pebble

[ peb-uh l ]

/ ˈpɛb əl /

SEE MORE SYNONYMS FOR pebble ON THESAURUS.COM

noun

a small, rounded stone, especially one worn smooth by the action of water.

Also called pebble leather. leather that has been given a granulated surface.

any granulated or crinkled surface, especially of a textile.

a transparent colorless rock crystal used for the lenses of eyeglasses.

a lens made from this crystal.

verb (used with object), peb·bled, peb·bling.

to prepare (leather) so as to have a granulated surface.

to pelt with or as with pebbles.

Nearby words

peau d'orange, peau de soie, peavey, peavy, peba, pebble, pebble dash, pebble garden, pebble heater, pebbling, pebbly

Origin of pebble

1250–1300; Middle English pibbil, puble, pobble; compare Old English pæbbel (in place names), papel-, popel- (in compounds); phonological relations unclear

Related formsun·peb·bled, adjective

Can be confusedboulder cobblestone granule pebble rock stone

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019

Examples from the Web for pebble

Pluck a pebble from a mountain and pretend the mountain is gone.
The Crazy Way Creationists Try To Explain Human Tails Without Evolution|Karl W. Giberson|June 1, 2014|DAILY BEAST
The maze ends in an expansive Zen garden, complete with a pebble pool-pit and a vast mirror along one wall.
The Royal Academy Wants You to Finish This Artwork|Chloë Ashby|January 24, 2014|DAILY BEAST
Other key presenters included executives from Google, Microsoft, and start-ups like Pebble.
America’s Start-Up Silver Lining|Daniel Gross|October 30, 2013|DAILY BEAST
The Pebble comes close, but it still looks like a computer sitting on a wristband.
Apple’s iWatch Can’t Arrive Soon Enough|Winston Ross|August 26, 2013|DAILY BEAST

And then, if a cat or a dog comes along and sniffs the pebble, it dies.
Benjamin Percy: How I Write|Noah Charney|June 5, 2013|DAILY BEAST
First of all, he threw a pebble into the air, and behold a great rocky wall around their teepee.
Indian Boyhood|[AKA Ohiyesa], Charles A. Eastman
The voice of Miss Voscoe fell like a pebble into the pool of silence that was slowly widening between them.
The Incomplete Amorist|E. Nesbit
A pebble rattled against another pebble; I raised myself upon my elbow.
Latitude 19 degree|Mrs. Schuyler Crowninshield
This chase may begin as soon as the players suspect who has the pebble.
Games for the Playground, Home, School and Gymnasium|Jessie H. Bancroft
A pebble was thrown up at the window, and a voice called out cautiously, "Miss Lavinia!"
Miss or Mrs.?|Wilkie Collins

British Dictionary definitions for pebble

pebble

/ (ˈpɛbəl) /

noun

a small smooth rounded stone, esp one worn by the action of water
geology a rock fragment, often rounded, with a diameter of 4–64 mm and thus smaller than a cobble but larger than a granule

a transparent colourless variety of rock crystal, used for making certain lenses
such a lens

(modifier) informal (of a lens or of spectacles) thick, with a high degree of magnification or distortion

a grainy irregular surface, esp on leather
leather having such a surface

informal, mainly Australian a troublesome or obstinate person or animal

verb (tr)

to pave, cover, or pelt with pebbles

to impart a grainy surface to (leather)

Derived Formspebbly, adjective

Word Origin for pebble

Old English papolstān, from papol- (perhaps of imitative origin) + stān stone

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

Word Origin and History for pebble

pebble

small, smooth stone, late 13c., from Old English papolstan "pebblestone," of unknown origin. Perhaps imitative. Some sources compare Latin papula "pustule, pimple, swelling."

Science definitions for pebble

pebble

[ pĕb′əl ]

A rock fragment larger than a granule and smaller than a cobble. Pebbles have a diameter between 4 and 64 mm (0.16 and 2.56 inches) and are often rounded.

Idioms and Phrases with pebble

pebble

see not the only fish in the sea (pebble on the beach).

pebble

noun

verb (used with object), peb·bled, peb·bling.

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Origin of pebble

Examples from the Web for pebble

British Dictionary definitions for pebble

pebble

noun

verb (tr)

Word Origin for pebble

Word Origin and History for pebble

pebble

Science definitions for pebble

pebble

Idioms and Phrases with pebble

pebble