marble

1 of 2

noun

mar·​ble ˈmär-bəl How to pronounce marble (audio)
1
a
: limestone that is more or less crystallized by metamorphism, that ranges from granular to compact in texture, that is capable of taking a high polish, and that is used especially in architecture and sculpture
b
: something (such as a piece of sculpture) composed of or made from marble
c
: something suggesting marble (as in hardness, coldness, or smoothness)
a heart of marble
2
a
: a little ball made of a hard substance (such as glass) and used in various games
b
marbles plural in form but singular in construction : any of several games played with these little balls
c
marbles plural : the rewards to be won in competition especially for a championship
used in the phrase all the marbles
a game being played for all the marbles
3
4
marbles plural : elements of common sense
especially : sanity
persons who are born without all their marbles Arthur Miller
marble adjective

marble

2 of 2

verb

marbled; marbling ˈmär-b(ə-)liŋ How to pronounce marble (audio)

transitive verb

: to give a veined or mottled appearance to
marble the edges of a book

Examples of marble in a Sentence

Noun The statue is made of marble. I love to play with marbles. Verb marble the paper with several different dyes to get a striking effect
Recent Examples on the Web
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Noun
The house itself, a dizzying 11,000 square feet of marble and mahogany opulence, seems to go on forever. Mike Klingaman, Baltimore Sun, 9 Jan. 2025 The marble is Esmerelda and the bar stools are by Morentz. Kerry Pieri, Architectural Digest, 8 Jan. 2025
Verb
There’s a nice mix of experience and youth marbled through the lineup, with Kyle Connor, Mark Scheifele and Nikolaj Ehlers leading the offence. Allan Mitchell, The Athletic, 8 Jan. 2025 American bacon is typically a much fattier cut of meat due to lots of marbling, notes Shore. Stacey Lastoe, Southern Living, 25 Dec. 2024 See all Example Sentences for marble 

Word History

Etymology

Noun

Middle English, from Anglo-French marbre, from Latin marmor, from Greek marmaros

First Known Use

Noun

12th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1a

Verb

1675, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of marble was in the 12th century

Dictionary Entries Near marble

Cite this Entry

“Marble.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/marble. Accessed 18 Jan. 2025.

Kids Definition

marble

1 of 2 noun
mar·​ble ˈmär-bəl How to pronounce marble (audio)
1
a
: a limestone that takes a high polish and is used in architecture and sculpture
b
: something made from marble
especially : a piece of sculpture
2
a
: a little ball (as of glass) used in various games
b
plural : a children's game played with these little balls
marble adjective

marble

2 of 2 verb
marbled; marbling ˈmär-b(ə-)liŋ How to pronounce marble (audio)
: to give a streaked, spotted, or blotched appearance to (as by staining)
marble the edges of a book

More from Merriam-Webster on marble

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