marble

1 of 2

noun

mar·​ble ˈmär-bəl How to pronounce marble (audio)
1
a
: limestone that is more or less crystallized by metamorphism, that ranges from granular to compact in texture, that is capable of taking a high polish, and that is used especially in architecture and sculpture
b
: something (such as a piece of sculpture) composed of or made from marble
c
: something suggesting marble (as in hardness, coldness, or smoothness)
a heart of marble
2
a
: a little ball made of a hard substance (such as glass) and used in various games
b
marbles plural in form but singular in construction : any of several games played with these little balls
c
marbles plural : the rewards to be won in competition especially for a championship
used in the phrase all the marbles
a game being played for all the marbles
3
4
marbles plural : elements of common sense
especially : sanity
persons who are born without all their marbles Arthur Miller
marble adjective

marble

2 of 2

verb

marbled; marbling ˈmär-b(ə-)liŋ How to pronounce marble (audio)

transitive verb

: to give a veined or mottled appearance to
marble the edges of a book

Examples of marble in a Sentence

Noun The statue is made of marble. I love to play with marbles. Verb marble the paper with several different dyes to get a striking effect
Recent Examples on the Web
Noun
Digger driver Greg Crawley uncovered the marble head of a Roman lady at 16th century country estate Burghley House in Peterborough, England, last year while undertaking renovation works. Amy Woodyatt, CNN, 19 Mar. 2024 Among the intriguing knickknacks on the shelves were a covered wagon replica and a decorative cluster of Lucite grapes that looked like large marbles. Jeff Suess, The Enquirer, 17 Mar. 2024 Greg Crawley, an excavator driver, discovered the marble head of a Roman woman in the spring of 2023 during the construction of a new visitor parking lot for Burghley House in Stamford, according to a news release. Abigail Adams, Peoplemag, 16 Mar. 2024 As for the Silver-and-Black pass rusher’s new 1.2-acre spread, which was built in 2002, the place features seven bedrooms and 12 baths in a little more than 20,500 square feet of two-level living space adorned throughout with marble floors, high ceilings and soaring walls of glass. Wendy Bowman, Robb Report, 15 Mar. 2024 Weeks later, the lady’s shoulders were found, though they were sculpted much later than the marble head. Victor Mather, New York Times, 14 Mar. 2024 The lobby, as elegant as an art museum, was finished in marble and hardwood and featured a glass wall, three stories tall, overlooking the presses that receded far in the distance. Thomas Curwen, Los Angeles Times, 10 Mar. 2024 The black marble finish is sleek and modern, while also being versatile enough to incorporate in different style spaces. Megan Schaltegger, Peoplemag, 7 Mar. 2024 Among the abode’s newer features is an open chef’s kitchen equipped with state-of-the-art appliances, glossy marble countertops, and custom blue cabinets. Abby Montanez, Robb Report, 6 Mar. 2024
Verb
Bowing to a Fan Revolt: Germany’s soccer fans protested the specter of a private equity giant taking a stake in the country’s domestic league by raining tennis balls, chocolate coins and even marbles onto fields across the country. Rory Smith, New York Times, 23 Feb. 2024 Sun hopes to further improve her simulations of marbling in hopes of reverse-engineering some of her favorite patterns to determine which tools and movements were used to create them. Jennifer Ouellette, Ars Technica, 8 Dec. 2023 Although there are several different methods for marbling paper, the most common involves filling a shallow tray with water, then painstakingly applying different ink or paint colors to the water's surface with an ink brush to cover the surface with concentric circles. Jennifer Ouellette, Ars Technica, 8 Dec. 2023 Get the recipe: Caldo Verde A little while later, a server brought us two small bowls of a creamy golden broth, marbled with green. G. Daniela Galarza, Washington Post, 19 Oct. 2023 Look for them in festive red, hot pink, cream, white, apricot, or with marbling, speckles, or streaks. Lynn Coulter, Better Homes & Gardens, 22 Oct. 2023 After the eggs soak in the dye, pat them with a paper towel and add pencil details to create a marbling effect. Katherine Owen, Southern Living, 15 Sep. 2023 Christine teaches block printing, indigo dyeing, tie-dyeing, weaving, marbling, screen printing, batik, and cyanotyping. Kathy Barnes, Better Homes & Gardens, 2 Aug. 2023 The set sold as a digital download album, double-CD, double-cassette and in three color vinyl LP variants (orchid marbled, violet marbled and a Target-exclusive lilac marbled color). Keith Caulfield, Billboard, 16 July 2023

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'marble.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Word History

Etymology

Noun

Middle English, from Anglo-French marbre, from Latin marmor, from Greek marmaros

First Known Use

Noun

12th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1a

Verb

1675, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of marble was in the 12th century

Dictionary Entries Near marble

Cite this Entry

“Marble.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/marble. Accessed 29 Mar. 2024.

Kids Definition

marble

1 of 2 noun
mar·​ble ˈmär-bəl How to pronounce marble (audio)
1
a
: a limestone that takes a high polish and is used in architecture and sculpture
b
: something made from marble
especially : a piece of sculpture
2
a
: a little ball (as of glass) used in various games
b
plural : a children's game played with these little balls
marble adjective

marble

2 of 2 verb
marbled; marbling ˈmär-b(ə-)liŋ How to pronounce marble (audio)
: to give a streaked, spotted, or blotched appearance to (as by staining)
marble the edges of a book

More from Merriam-Webster on marble

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