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

Lined by regal, centuries-old stone palazzos, cobbled Via di Monserrato and its equally picturesque surrounding streets, on the west edge of the Centro Storico, provide an almost cinematic shopping excursion. —Seth Sherwood, New York Times, 15 May 2025

Pick one platform instead of cobbling together multiple tools that might not work well together. —Jodie Cook, Forbes.com, 8 May 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