Meaning & use
marble
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Meanings
noununcountable
A hard, smooth stone, often white with colored lines, used for sculpture and buildings.
Grammar: Uncountable when referring to the material; countable when meaning a piece or type of marble (e.g., a marble from Italy).
Patterns
- made of marble
- a marble statue
- carve something in marble
The floor was made of polished marble.
Michelangelo's David is carved from a single block of marble.
The hotel lobby had a beautiful marble staircase.
nouncountable
A small ball, usually made of colored glass, used in children's games.
Grammar: Countable; often used in the plural when talking about the game.
Patterns
- play marbles
- a game of marbles
- collect marbles
The children were playing marbles on the sidewalk.
He won a shiny blue marble from his friend.
In the old days, kids often played marbles after school.
Word forms
| plural | marbles |
|---|
Common combinations
- marble statue
- The museum displayed a marble statue from ancient Greece.
- marble floor
- The marble floor was cool under our feet.
- play marbles
- The boys liked to play marbles during recess.
- a game of marbles
- They started a game of marbles in the dirt.
Synonyms and how they differ
- stone
- A general word for rock material; marble is a specific type of stone.
Word family
- marbled adjective
- Having a pattern of colored lines like marble.
Commonly confused: marble or marvel?
marble vs marvel
A wonderful thing; marble is the stone or the toy. They sound similar but are unrelated.
Practice
The sculptor chose a block of ______ to create the statue.
Choose one answer.
The material is uncountable, so 'marble' is correct. 'Marbles' would mean the game balls, and 'marvel' means a wonder.
Make it your own
Write a sentence using “marble”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.