cobblestone

Meanings

1. 1nouncountable

   A rounded stone, bigger than a pebble, that was set into the ground to make the surface of old streets.

   Grammar: Often plural, and also used before another noun: cobblestone streets.

   Patterns

   • paved with cobblestones
   • a cobblestone street

   The carriage rattled over the cobblestones.

   One loose cobblestone made her trip outside the café.

   Workers dug up the old cobblestones and relaid them.

2. 2nounusually plural

   A street or surface paved with such stones, regarded as charming and traditional.

   Grammar: Usually plural and about a whole surface: the cobblestones of the old town.

   Patterns

   • walk on the cobblestones

   We walked the cobblestones of the old town at dusk.

   High heels are not ideal on the cobblestones of the market square.

Word forms

Common combinations

cobblestone street

The hotel sits on a quiet cobblestone street.

cobblestone path

A narrow cobblestone path led up to the church.

worn cobblestones

The worn cobblestones shone after the rain.

uneven cobblestones

Wheelchair users find the uneven cobblestones difficult.

pave with cobblestones

The square was paved with cobblestones in the 1800s.

Synonyms and how they differ

cobble

Cobble is a shorter, slightly more technical form meaning the same stone, and it is common in British English.

paving stone

A paving stone is usually flat and cut to shape, while a cobblestone is rounded and set in the ground.

setts

Setts are rectangular, cut stones used for roads, while cobblestones are rounded and natural.

Word family

cobble noun

a rounded paving stone

cobbled adjective

paved with cobblestones, as in a cobbled street

cobble verb

to pave with cobblestones (the sense of mending shoes is a different word)

Commonly confused: cobblestone or cobbler?

Practice

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