boulder

noun

boul·​der ˈbōl-dər 

variants or less commonly bowlder

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

bouldered

ˈbōl-dərd 

adjective

bouldery

ˈbōl-d(ə-)rē 

adjective

Examples of boulder in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

In the chaos, panicked families dove behind boulders or flattened themselves on the grass. —Ross Rosenfeld, MSNBC Newsweek, 23 Apr. 2025

This includes Sherburne-Marr’s Boulder Point subdivision on Warm Springs Mesa, where the company is building custom homes often highlighting and building around the natural boulders of the area. —Nick Rosenberger, Idaho Statesman, 21 Apr. 2025

In 2024, things improved: the IOC separated the hyper-specialized discipline of speed climbing, but kept lead and boulder lumped together. —Maya Silver, Outside Online, 13 Apr. 2025

The men were captured on video rolling boulders over a cliff at Lake Mead National Recreation Area, causing more than $1,000 in damage to the rock formation, McClatchy News reported. —Brooke Baitinger, Sacbee.com, 11 Apr. 2025

Word History

Etymology

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, in the meaning defined above

Rhymes for boulder

• bolder
• bowlder
• colder
• folder
• golder
• holder
• molder
• moulder
• older
• polder
• shoulder
• beholder

Kids Definition

boulder

noun

boul·​der ˈbōl-dər 

: a large detached and rounded or worn mass of rock

Geographical Definition

Boulder

geographical name

Boul·​der ˈbōl-dər 

city northwest of Denver in north central Colorado population 97,385