gravel

1 of 3

noun

grav·​el ˈgra-vəl 

1

obsolete : sand

2

a

: 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

2 of 3

verb

graveled or gravelled; graveling or gravelling ˈgra-v(ə-)liŋ 

transitive verb

1

: to cover or spread with gravel

2

a

: perplex, confound

b

: irritate, nettle

… disappointed … and graveled him a good deal …

—Mark Twain

gravel

3 of 3

adjective

: gravelly sense 2

—used of the human voice

Synonyms of gravel

Verb

• baffle
• puzzle
• confuse
• bewilder
• perplex
• muddy
• maze

Adjective

• hoarse
• gruff
• husky
• gravelly
• coarse

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

Mulch succulents with rock or gravel. —Nan Sterman, San Diego Union-Tribune, 6 Dec. 2025

Denver will stop pursuing a plan to build pickleball courts in the gravel lot next to Civic Center station in the Capitol Hill neighborhood because of the ongoing budget constraints the city is facing, a spokesman for the city said Friday. —Elliott Wenzler, Denver Post, 5 Dec. 2025

Verb

Once graveled in, protesters watched on TVs and through the windows looking into the chamber. —Marissa Meador, IndyStar, 1 Dec. 2025

And all of it is uniquely suited to gravel riding. —Zand B. Martin, Outside, 11 Nov. 2025

Adjective

Starting on Burlington’s waterfront, this 13-mile route traces the shoreline before funneling riders onto the Colchester Causeway, a narrow, gravel path that stretches across Lake Champlain. —Erin Gifford, Outside, 30 Oct. 2025

According to Meyer, gravel distribution is a part of the district's work in preventing levee slides, a slope failure along a levee usually caused by heavy rain. —Arkansas Online, 20 Aug. 2025

Word History

Etymology

Noun

Middle English, from Anglo-French gravele, diminutive of grave, greve river bank, stony ground

First Known Use

Noun

13th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Verb

1543, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Adjective

1939, in the meaning defined above

Phrases Containing gravel

• gravel-blind

Rhymes for gravel

• caval
• cavil
• gavel
• travel
• unravel

Kids Definition

gravel

1 of 3 noun

grav·​el ˈgrav-əl 

: small pieces of rock and pebbles larger than grains of sand

gravel

2 of 3 adjective

: gravelly sense 2

gravel

3 of 3 verb

graveled or gravelled; graveling or gravelling

ˈgrav-(ə-)liŋ

: to cover or spread with gravel

Medical Definition

gravel

noun

grav·​el ˈgrav-əl 

1

: a deposit of small calculous concretions in the kidneys and urinary bladder compare microlith

2

: the condition that results from the presence of deposits of gravel