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

The owner must also be patient enough to wait for the conservancy to cobble together grants to buy the land. —Jaclyn Cosgrove, Los Angeles Times, 9 Apr. 2026

This meant conducting guerrilla attacks and cobbling together missiles and warplanes to shell Iraqi cities. —Sudarsan Raghavan, New Yorker, 7 Apr. 2026

Noun

The unique roughness of the PR cobbles is his biggest obstacle. —Jessica Hopkins, New York Times, 10 Apr. 2026

Tiny Zahara is a delight for those who want to hear only the sounds of the wind, birds, and elderly footsteps on ancient cobbles. —Tribune News Service, Baltimore Sun, 10 Mar. 2026

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