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

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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

Two summers ago, the 27-year-old was riding her bicycle to work in Detroit when she was run over by a double-trailer gravel truck. — Robert Allen, Detroit Free Press, "Autos vs. bikes: Watch for shrinking roads in metro Detroit," 10 June 2019 The occasional low tower of a Norman church, or peaked gable roof of a seventeenth-century farmhouse, poked out from behind huddled green copses, and wildflowers were growing in the gravel between the train tracks. — Rebecca Mead, The New Yorker, "A D Day Journey in the Spirit of A. J. Liebling," 7 June 2019 Direct hits raised massive clouds of earth, gravel, stone and concrete dust into the sky, seen in video posted online. — Fox News, "Syria uses familiar tactic in rebel Idlib: Bombing civilians," 7 June 2019 What do pantyhose, masking tape, gravel, sand, dirt and seed pods have in common? — Joanne Davidson, The Denver Post, "Seen: Artist Nengudi honored at Bonfils-Stanton Foundation awards," 5 June 2019 The plant where the toxic herbicide was manufactured now is a gravel lot. — Gretchen Morgenson, WSJ, "Agent Orange’s Other Legacy—a $12 Billion Cleanup and a Fight Over Who Pays," 3 Dec. 2018 Is your trailhead parking lot made of large sharp chunks of gravel? — James Lynch, Popular Mechanics, "The 7 Best Rooftop Tents for Far-Out (and Closer-to-Home) Adventures," 26 Apr. 2019 In between each level of gravel is a layer of string that helps keep the rocks in place. — Liz Stinson, Curbed, "Watch a robot build columns out of only gravel and string," 15 Oct. 2018 Every other day or so, a street sweeper would rumble by, vacuuming up pebbles and bits of gravel. — John Kelly, Washington Post, "From potholes to perfect pavement: My neighborhood has lovely new streets," 24 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.