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 of cobble

Verb

• patch (together)
• throw together
• knock together

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

Beyond Mitchell’s scoring, the Heat could only cobble 14 points apiece from Davion Mitchell and Nikola Jovic, and 12 apiece from Andrew Wiggins and Bam Adebayo. —Ira Winderman, Sun Sentinel, 3 Jan. 2026

Harp would have to cobble things together until then. —Lauren Hilgers, Harpers Magazine, 30 Dec. 2025

Noun

The shiny cobbles of the side street, the white brick of the wall opposite. —CBS News, 28 Dec. 2025

Various ideas were proposed during the past three years, including cobble deltas that would mimic conditions at Lower Trestles and mini headlands. —Laylan Connelly, Oc Register, 25 Nov. 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