Definition of pebble
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
From the M-W Editors
Recent Examples of pebble from the Web
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Seasonings and sides—such as the sangak, an Iranian pebble bread—are inspired in part by Michail’s Iranian heritage and trips to Israel and Turkey.
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Semel added dogs running loose have also destroyed common tern nests, which are built atop the sand with a few sticks and some pebbles.
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Set to arrive in August 2018, the spacecraft will orbit the asteroid, studying it for two years before scooping up a sample of dust and pebbles that will return to Earth in 2023.
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Sowbhagyamma is one of dozens of women working under the scorching sun every day to clear weeds, mud, and pebbles from a 6.5-acre plot in the Mandya District of southern Karnataka state, India.
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Effective immediately, our relatively peaceful home was transformed into a 24-hour animal shelter, with multiple litter boxes, bowls of stinky food pebbles and hissing cats everywhere.
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According to Nicholas Scarborough, an educational ranger at the park, surge flow can only occur in places that have a sandy creek bottom free of any pebbles or stones.
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The Float tables and Aire benches draw from the smooth rocks and pebbles that decorate the shore of the Nile.
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There, a bluffside trail offers a lovely walk with views aplenty, ending at a sand-pebble beach looking across to Whidbey Island.
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.
Origin and Etymology of pebble
Middle English pobble, from Old English papolstān, from papol- (of unknown origin) + stān stone
Other Geology Terms
anthracite, boulder, cwm, erratic, igneous, intrusive, mesa, sedimentary, silt, swale
First Known Use of pebble
1605
PEBBLE Defined for English Language Learners
pebble
playDefinition of pebble for English Language Learners
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: a small, round stone; especially : one that has been made smooth by the movement of water
PEBBLE Defined for Kids
Learn More about pebble
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See words that rhyme with pebble Spanish Central: Translation of pebble Nglish: Translation of pebble for Spanish speakers Britannica English: Translation of pebble for Arabic speakers Britannica.com: Encyclopedia article about pebble
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