boulder

noun boul·der \ ˈbōl-dər \

variants: or less commonly bowlder

|Updated on: 9 Aug 2018

Definition of boulder

: a detached and rounded or much-worn mass of rock

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bouldered

play \-dərd\ adjective

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bouldery

play \-d(ə-)rē\ adjective

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Recent Examples of boulder from the Web

An unsecured boulder fell off of the back of a truck and killed a mother and daughter in Minnesota.

— jessica spitz /, NBC News, "Mother and daughter killed after boulder falls off back of truck in Minnesota," 13 July 2018
Massive columns, slender spires and impossibly balanced boulders loom above the timber.

— roger naylor, azcentral, "10 best hikes in Arizona show off state's diverse scenery," 13 July 2018
Erickson photographed numerous boulders on private property in Rancho Bernardo, especially along Green Valley Creek.

— diane bell, sandiegouniontribune.com, "Discovery of hidden drawings puts Poway Native American art in a class of its own," 9 July 2018
Doug Pray's film tells the story of the two-story tall, 340-ton granite boulder that was moved from a quarry in Riverside to the museum and mounted atop the walls of a gigantic slot in the earth.

— charlotteobserver, "What’s up this week in Charlotte’s visual arts? | June 17-23," 12 June 2018
Kelly Goodpaster, with the Hobart Park Department, said five boulders identifying the Hobart Nature District have been installed and a sixth and final one will be going in by Robinson Lake Park.

— karen caffarini, Post-Tribune, "Work continues on Hobart Nature District," 25 May 2018
Jonathan Rance pushed Kelly Corrado into some boulders in the Willamette River and struck her on the back and head, causing a bloody gash on her skull that required three staples.

— aimee green, OregonLive.com, "Homeless man who 'beat the crap out of' beachgoers gets 5 years," 23 May 2018
Seven rhino bulls lay still on the ground like big gray boulders.

— jason florio, Smithsonian, "The Dangerous Work of Relocating 5,000-Pound Rhinos," 22 May 2018
The trails pass huge boulders — including the monstrous Dino Testone Boulder — and along the banks of scenic marshes and ponds.

— peter marteka, courant.com, "Hikers, Are You Up To The Challenge Of These 14 Trails?," 15 May 2018

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

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First Known Use: 1607

in the meaning defined above

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