pebble

peb·ble | \ ˈpe-bəl

How to pronounce pebble (audio)

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Definition of pebble

(Entry 1 of 2)

1 : a small usually rounded stone especially when worn by the action of water

2 : transparent and colorless quartz : rock crystal

3 : an irregular, crinkled, or grainy surface

pebble

pebbled; pebbling\ ˈpe-b(ə-)liŋ

How to pronounce pebbling (audio)

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Definition of pebble (Entry 2 of 2)

transitive verb

1 : to pelt with pebbles

2 : to pave or cover with pebbles or something resembling pebbles

3 : to grain (a material, such as leather) so as to produce a rough and irregularly indented surface

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Examples of pebble in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web: Noun The picturesque volcano in the middle of a lake in Batangas province south of Manila rumbled to life Sunday in a powerful explosion that blasted a 15-kilometer (9-mile) column of ash, steam and pebbles into the sky. — Washington Post, "Philippine volcano spews lava, ash for 3rd day, 30,000 flee," 14 Jan. 2020 Every sound seems amplified, every pebble under your sleeping bag feels like a boulder, and your hunting buddy’s snoring can give you homicidal thoughts. — The Editors, Field & Stream, "Three Tricks for Sleeping Better in Camp," 7 Dec. 2019 Appropriate containers and soil or pebbles to use while growing will spice up the gift. — Jeff Lowenfels, Anchorage Daily News, "What to gift a gardener? Funny you should ask.," 6 Dec. 2019 There’s machinery for his line of cold brew, a unit for separating out errant pebbles that make it into the jute sacks, a packaging machine that fills the one bags, and, in the corner, the roaster. — Jeff Csatari, Popular Mechanics, "How a New York City Roaster Is Putting Nicaraguan Coffee on the Map," 5 Dec. 2019 And in the middle, slabs of Leland Blue Stone left over from a mine in the town by the same name, along with rings and bracelets made from pebbles found on the nearby beach, are displayed on an antique wood table. — John Carlisle, Freep.com, "Dollar store wants to infiltrate popular Up North vacation spot — and town fights back," 2 Dec. 2019 Between 1,000 and 2,000 years ago, the Nazca people created hundreds of shapes by scraping dark red pebbles away from the desert's surface to expose the lighter soil beneath. — Kiona N. Smith, Ars Technica, "Archaeologists found 143 more images among the Nazca Lines," 2 Dec. 2019 If the bouncing barrier was never surpassed, the solar system would just be full of celestial pebbles. — Katherine J. Wu, Smithsonian, "Super-Strong Electric Forces May Have Helped Tiny Clumps of Dust Seed the Planets," 12 Dec. 2019 The Senators won that game when Earl McNeely’s groundball hit a stone, or a pebble, and bounced over the head of third baseman Fred Lindstrom, scoring Muddy Ruel from second. — Bruce Jenkins, SFChronicle.com, "The Giants and the Nationals: A bad-hop connection," 17 Oct. 2019

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

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Last Updated

17 Jan 2020

Cite this Entry

“Pebble.” The Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster Inc., https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/pebble. Accessed 19 January 2020.

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