cobble

1 of 2

verb

cob·​ble ˈkä-bəl 

cobbled; cobbling ˈkä-b(ə-)liŋ 

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

: cobblestone

2

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

Synonyms

Verb

• jury-rig
• patch (together)
• throw up

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

As executive producer David Crockett explains to me, the show cobbles together its own estates from the available locations. —Jackson McHenry, Vulture, 17 June 2025

In Ellmann’s Joyce: The Biography of a Masterpiece and Its Maker, Zachary Leader—who has written engaging lives of Kingsley Amis and Saul Bellow—has cobbled together a curious two-part chronicle. —Eric Bulson, The Atlantic, 16 June 2025

Noun

But to a researcher, the cobbles screamed of something unusual. —Sam Walters, Discover Magazine, 17 Apr. 2025

Representing a mix of basaltic and non-basaltic cobbles, the collection seemed strange, thanks, in part, to its composition. —Sam Walters, Discover Magazine, 17 Apr. 2025

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

Rhymes for cobble

• bauble
• gobble
• hobble
• labile
• squabble
• wobble
• cantabile

Kids Definition

cobble

1 of 2 verb

cob·​ble ˈkäb-əl 

cobbled; cobbling -(ə-)liŋ 

: 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