Definition of boulder
: a detached and rounded or much-worn mass of rock
From the M-W Editors
Recent Examples of boulder from the Web
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The boulder features a plaque with the names of 47 Park Ridge servicemen killed during World War II.
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This stretch of the riverbed is strewn with an unimaginable field of Ice Age-era boulders.
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Here, cliffs rise at near-right angles to the highway, which is protected by giant skeins of webbing that catch the falling boulders.
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Flowering native shrubs pressed in from all sides and a stone Buddha and birdbath peeked out from among the ferns and boulders.
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Downslope is an outcropping of boulders, with streams tumbling over rocks and waterfalls, ending in the pond.
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The crushing walls move based on a deck of cards; the boulder gradually picks up speed as the game progresses; the lava pit tiles are a tricky memory game.
These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'boulder'. Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Origin and Etymology of boulder
short for boulder stone, from Middle English bulder ston, partial translation of a word of Scandinavian origin; akin to Swedish dialect bullersten large stone in a stream, from buller noise + sten stone
First Known Use: 1607
Other Geology Terms
anthracite, cwm, erratic, igneous, intrusive, mesa, sedimentary, silt, swale
Boulder
playDefinition of Boulder
city northwest of Denver in north central Colorado population 97,385
BOULDER Defined for English Language Learners
boulder
playDefinition of boulder for English Language Learners
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: a very large stone or rounded piece of rock
BOULDER Defined for Kids
boulder
Definition of boulder for Students
: a very large rounded piece of rock
Learn More about boulder
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See words that rhyme with boulder Spanish Central: Translation of boulder Nglish: Translation of boulder for Spanish speakers Britannica English: Translation of boulder for Arabic speakers Britannica.com: Encyclopedia article about boulder
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