cobble

1 of 2

verb

cob·​ble ˈkä-bəl How to pronounce cobble (audio)
cobbled; cobbling ˈkä-b(ə-)liŋ How to pronounce cobble (audio)

transitive verb

1
chiefly British : to mend or patch coarsely
2
: repair, make
cobble shoes
3
: to make or put together roughly or hastily
often used with together or up
cobble together an agreement
cobble up a temporary solution

cobble

2 of 2

noun

1
2
cobbles plural, chiefly British : lump coal about the size of small cobblestones

Examples of cobble in a Sentence

Verb expensive leather shoes cobbled in Italy Noun a street paved with cobbles
Recent Examples on the Web
Verb
The pledge, as well as the need to cobble together support from multiple parties, is expected to limit Mr. Wilders’s ability to drastically change any pillars of the Dutch government or to push through unconstitutional laws. Claire Moses, New York Times, 11 Mar. 2024 With its illustrious reputation hanging in the balance, the boarding school begins a sweeping public relations campaign that includes cobbling together a two-person Diversity, Equity and Inclusion team more interested in inclusive visuals than actual change. Aramide Tinubu, Variety, 8 Mar. 2024 And all of these families were able to pull of a magic trick last spring and summer by cobbling together emergency resources to make sure their children are safe and cared for. Hannah Murphy Winter, Rolling Stone, 1 Mar. 2024 Two weeks later, Belgium, Canada, Denmark, The Netherlands and around a dozen unspecified countries had cobbled together more than half of the financing: enough for around 400,000 shells. David Axe, Forbes, 1 Mar. 2024 It’s located above Ibiza Town inside a magnificent ancient fortress with Renaissance town walls, cobbled stone streets and tight alleyways. Chloe Sachdev, Condé Nast Traveler, 21 Feb. 2024 Districts have cobbled together funds to make some improvements over the years. Becca Savransky, Idaho Statesman, 13 Feb. 2024 There are some House members, both Republicans and Democrats, that are trying to cobble together an alternate foreign aid/immigration measure. Andy J. Semotiuk, Forbes, 16 Feb. 2024 Between 2018 and 2023, the number of cobbling businesses has shrunk 2.4 percent per year on average. Sydney Page, Washington Post, 9 Feb. 2024
Noun
An example is in Ventura at Surfer’s Point, where a living shoreline – a base of cobble on top of sand that uses vegetation to help hold things in place – has helped protect a coastline that was previously suffering from severe erosion. Laylan Connelly, Orange County Register, 25 Feb. 2024 Lisa Frankenstein, a twist on the classic horror tale that sees a young woman cobble together a corpse and bring him to life, received a B Cinemascore. Pamela McClintock, The Hollywood Reporter, 11 Feb. 2024 Determined to turn Dolemite into a blaxploitation karate film starring himself, Rudy cobbles together a screenwriter (Keegan-Michael Key), a celebrated character actor (Wesley Snipes), and a comedian (Da'Vine Joy Randolph), and decides to do it himself. EW.com, 8 Nov. 2023 Where cows once grazed, farmland once produced food, and children went clamming (clams prefer sand, not cobbles), the land and habitat were gradually lost to the sea. Alka Tripathy-Lang, Ars Technica, 11 Jan. 2024 Think of cobbles and boulders instead of beachy (sand) bars. Alka Tripathy-Lang, Ars Technica, 11 Jan. 2024 Advertisement Also part of the ICM plan is an artificial underwater reef built of rocks, cobble and sand in fabric containers just beyond the waves between the two headlands, to slow erosive forces and protect the beach. Phil Diehl, San Diego Union-Tribune, 9 Jan. 2024 There are many kinds of historical stone features – waste piles, cairns, scatters, lines, kilns, gravestones, cobbles, patios and more. Robert M. Thorson, Discover Magazine, 9 Dec. 2023 But in the harsh landscape, the researchers found pebbles, cobbles, and boulders in addition to sand and silt and sediments rich in organic matter. Katherine Kornei, Discover Magazine, 14 Nov. 2023

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'cobble.' 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

Verb

Middle English coblen, perhaps back-formation from cobelere cobbler

First Known Use

Verb

15th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Noun

1600, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Time Traveler
The first known use of cobble was in the 15th century

Dictionary Entries Near cobble

Cite this Entry

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

Kids Definition

cobble

1 of 2 verb
cob·​ble ˈkäb-əl How to pronounce cobble (audio)
cobbled; cobbling -(ə-)liŋ How to pronounce cobble (audio)
: to make roughly or hastily
often used with together or up

cobble

2 of 2 noun
: a rounded stone larger than a pebble and smaller than a boulder

More from Merriam-Webster on cobble

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!