gravel

noun

grav·el | \ ˈgra-vəl

Definition of gravel

(Entry 1 of 3)

1 obsolete : sand

2a : loose rounded fragments of rock

b : a stratum or deposit of gravel also : a surface covered with gravel a gravel road

3 : small calculi in the kidneys and urinary bladder

gravel

verb

graveled or gravelled; graveling or gravelling\ ˈgrav-liŋ

, ˈgra-və- \

Definition of gravel (Entry 2 of 3)

transitive verb

1 : to cover or spread with gravel

2a : perplex, confound

b : irritate, nettle disappointed … and graveled him a good deal— Mark Twain

gravel

adjective

Definition of gravel (Entry 3 of 3)

: gravelly sense 2 —used of the human voice

Synonyms Example Sentences Learn More about gravel

Keep scrolling for more

Examples of gravel in a Sentence

Verb

managed to gravel his opponent in the debate by focusing on atypical examples

Adjective

after his bout with laryngitis, he had a terribly gravel voice

Recent Examples on the Web: Noun

The parts washer was invented in the mid-1950s by Ben Palmer, who worked at a gravel pit. — James R. Hagerty, WSJ, "Donald Brinckman Found a Grubby Business and Turned It Into a Wall Street Darling," 30 June 2018 The gravel pits in Kamloops are pivotal in Turenne’s film and for mountain biking in general, which was busy finding its freeride spirit one face plant and busted frame at a time. — The Editors, Outside Online, "The Greatest Moments in Sports History. Ever.," 20 June 2018 Making concrete, which is used for roads, bridges, buildings, runways, sidewalks, and a variety of other infrastructure projects, means combining cement with sand and gravel. — David Grossman, Popular Mechanics, "Scientists Make Concrete With Trash Instead of Cement," 12 July 2018 Back in 1954, after Hurricane Hazel flooded homes in the valley, the city expropriated a bunch of land and turned it into a linear park meandering through the city, with tens of miles of bike trails and gravel paths running alongside the river. — Alex Hutchinson, Outside Online, "Why "Wilder" Nature Is Better for Your Health," 27 June 2018 Large boulders, a rock water feature and a gravel semi-circle path link the driveway to a wide brick front patio where there once was grass. — Janet Eastman, OregonLive.com, "Home-selling etiquette: Lake Oswego homeowner's letter to neighbors (photos)," 8 June 2018 After going inside to get her iPhone to snap a photo of the sticker for her husband, Phillips returned to her gravel driveway. — Author: Kyle Swenson, Anchorage Daily News, "‘It was either me or the cat’: Georgia woman kills rabid bobcat with her bare hands," 18 June 2018 As the woman and her daughter got out of the SUV, Manning steered his riding lawnmower right for his gravel driveway, according to court documents obtained by the station. — Matthew Martinez, star-telegram, "He launched rocks at a 9-year-old and her mother — with his riding lawnmower, Texas cops say," 12 June 2018 The gravel driveway leads to a lower-level, two-car garage, and also winds past a cobblestone walkway leading to double entry doors topped by a half-moon window. — New York Times, "House Hunting in … Portugal," 6 June 2018

Recent Examples on the Web: Verb

Reaching the stadium from the baseball offices is a circuitous route that takes you in one door and then out of another in State’s indoor football facility, down a steep, unleveled sidewalk and through a dusty, graveled-covered work site. — Ross Dellenger, SI.com, "How Mississippi State Baseball Turned a Season That Began in Humiliation Into a Trip to Omaha," 15 June 2018 This practice begs the question: would gravel make sense in some of the areas off the path of the driveway? — Jeff Lowenfels, Anchorage Daily News, "Here’s what to do with all that sand and gravel left behind now that the snow has melted," 3 May 2018 For developers, Davis says, the upfront cost of the seeds and planting is offset in the long term by lower maintenance costs—no turf to mow or gravel erosion to manage. — National Geographic, "Beekeepers Sweeten Solar Sites With the 'Tesla of Honey'," 24 June 2017

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'gravel.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.