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
: gravelly sense 2
—used of the human voice
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
Jessica Hopkins, New York Times, 10 Apr. 2026
Within the monument, most of the roads are gravel or dirt, and there is no drinkable water, no food, no gas and spotty cellphone coverage.
—Los Angeles Times, 10 Apr. 2026
Los Angeles Times, 10 Apr. 2026
City streets saw no significant improvement until the 1850s, when many routes were graveled.
—Libby Cierzniak, IndyStar, 13 Mar. 2026
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
See All Example Sentences for gravel
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Noun
Ferrand-Prevot won the race last year, in her first year back on the roads after three years competing in mountain biking and gravel racing, and is coming off the back of a second-place finish at Flanders.
—Jessica Hopkins, New York Times, 10 Apr. 2026
Within the monument, most of the roads are gravel or dirt, and there is no drinkable water, no food, no gas and spotty cellphone coverage.
—Los Angeles Times, 10 Apr. 2026
Verb
Also check the weather; most roads in the monument are dirt or gravel and can become impassable in rain.
—Los Angeles Times, 10 Apr. 2026
City streets saw no significant improvement until the 1850s, when many routes were graveled.
—Libby Cierzniak, IndyStar, 13 Mar. 2026
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
See All Example Sentences for gravel
Cite this Entry
“Gravel.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/gravel. Accessed 18 Apr. 2026.
Copy CitationKids 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 adjectivegravel
3 of 3 verb
graveled or gravelled; graveling or gravelling
ˈgrav-(ə-)liŋ
: to cover or spread with gravel
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