What does "gravel" mean?
Small fragments of rock, used for laying on the beds of roads and railways, and as ballast.
Gravel
/ˈɡɹævəl/ name, noun, verb, slang
name, noun, verb, slang ·Common ·High school level
Meaning at a glance
- Primary sense: Small fragments of rock, used for laying on the beds of roads and railways, and as ballast.
- Grammar: gravel is listed as name, noun, verb, slang.
- Nearest alternatives: aggregates, amaze, annoy, asphalt.
- Useful contrasts: argil, asphalt, blacktops.
- Usage evidence: We need to bind gravel with cement.
How to use "gravel"
- Start with the primary definition, then check the part of speech before placing the word in a sentence.
- Compare nearby synonyms to make sure "gravel" carries the exact meaning, tone, and strength you need.
- Use the example sentence as a context check. If your sentence uses the word differently, confirm that the grammar still fits.
Meaning check
- Does the word fit the sentence's grammar?
- Does it match the intended tone rather than only the dictionary definition?
- Would a simpler synonym be clearer for the reader?
- Is there enough surrounding context to prevent ambiguity?
Source and review context
This entry combines structured lexical data with WordToolSet review checks. Definitions, examples, synonyms, and usage notes may come from different source tables, so the page is designed to show evidence from more than one angle before you rely on "gravel" in a final draft.
If a word has several senses, prefer the sense that matches your sentence's grammar and surrounding context. A correct definition can still be the wrong choice when the sentence needs a different register, emphasis, or level of specificity.
Before you rely on this definition
Read the first definition as a starting point, then check the example, synonyms, and part of speech before treating "gravel" as the right word for your sentence.
If your draft is formal, technical, persuasive, or sensitive, compare "gravel" with a nearby alternative so the final choice matches both meaning and reader expectation.
Compare nearby meanings
- Use synonyms when you need a softer, stronger, simpler, or more specific word.
- Use antonyms to check the boundary of the meaning and avoid accidental contrast.
- Use the example sentence to confirm the word behaves naturally in context.
- Keep the original wording when a replacement adds complexity without improving precision.
Definition decision workflow
1. Identify the role
Check whether "gravel" is acting as name, noun, verb, slang in your sentence. A definition is only useful when the grammar matches the way the word is being used.
2. Test the nearest option
Compare it with "aggregates" and other nearby choices to see whether the sentence needs a softer, stronger, or more familiar word.
3. Confirm with context
Use the example sentence below as an evidence check, then read your own sentence out loud to catch tone or rhythm problems.
Review note: Definition pages are checked for source coverage, sentence evidence, synonym support, and editorial insight before they are treated as approval-ready pages. If the evidence is too thin, the page remains available to users but is kept out of the approval-facing indexed inventory.
Final meaning check
Before publishing a sentence with "gravel", ask whether the word helps the reader understand the idea faster. A precise word should reduce confusion, not simply make the sentence look more polished.
When the definition, synonym evidence, and example context point in the same direction, the word is usually a safer choice. When they conflict, revise the sentence or choose a clearer alternative.
Definitions
Noun
- 1 Small fragments of rock, used for laying on the beds of roads and railways, and as ballast. uncountable, usually
- 2 rock fragments and pebbles wordnet
- 3 A type or grade of small rocks, differentiated by mineral type, size range, or other characteristics. uncountable, usually
- 4 A particle from 2 to 64 mm in diameter, following the Wentworth scale. uncountable, usually
- 5 Kidney stones; a deposit of small calculous concretions in the kidneys and the urinary or gall bladder; also, the disease of which they are a symptom. archaic, uncountable, usually
"The great use of coffee in France is supposed to have abated the prevalency of the gravel, for where coffee is used as a constant beverage, the gravel and the gout are scarcely known."
Show 4 more definitions
- 6 A lameness in the foot of a horse, usually caused by an abscess. uncountable, usually
"The defendant below hired the horse to go from Cocksackie to Schodack, and the next day after his arrival at the latter place, the horse was found to be lame in one foot; and the lameness increasing, the defendant below was obliged to leave the horse there, and hire another with which to return. About four weeks after, the horse was brought home, and showed signs of gravel working out above the hoof."
- 7 Inability to see at night; night blindness. rare, uncountable, usually
"A malady that was rare, but which because of its peculiarity elicited much comment, was "night blindness" or "gravel.""
- 8 Gravel cycling, a discipline in cycling different from road cycling, mountain biking or cyclocross, for a large part on gravel roads, typically with a dedicated gravel bike. uncountable, usually
- 9 The stimulant drug alpha-pyrrolidinopentiophenone. slang, uncountable, usually
Verb
- 1 To apply a layer of gravel to the surface of a road, etc. transitive
"We kept quietly on our way until we reached a place in the road that had been freshly graveled, and where the surface was covered with stones just suited to our use."
- 2 be a mystery or bewildering to wordnet
- 3 To puzzle or annoy. transitive
"It graveled me like sixty to pay such a price, but I had to do it because the season was just between hay and grass."
- 4 cover with gravel wordnet
- 5 To run (as a ship) upon the gravel or beach; to run aground; to cause to stick fast in gravel or sand. transitive
"1605, William Camden, “Grave Speeches and wittie Apothegms of worthy Personages of this Realm in former times,” in Remaines Concerning Britain, London: Simon Miller, sixth impression, 1657, p. 243, William Conqerour when he invaded this Iland, chanced at his arrival to be gravelled, and one of his feet stuck so fast in the sand, that he fell to the ground."
Show 4 more definitions
- 6 cause annoyance in; disturb, especially by minor irritations wordnet
- 7 To check or stop; to confound; to perplex. transitive
"The physician was so gravelled and amazed withal, that he had not a word more to say."
- 8 To hurt or lame (a horse) by gravel lodged between the shoe and foot. transitive
- 9 To prostrate; to beat to the ground. archaic, slang, transitive
Proper Noun
- 1 A surname.
Example
"We need to bind gravel with cement."
Common questions
What is a synonym for "gravel"?
Common synonyms include: aggregates, amaze, annoy, asphalt, baffle, beat.
How do you use "gravel" in a sentence?
We need to bind gravel with cement.
How do you pronounce "gravel"?
Pronounced /ˈɡɹævəl/.
Etymology
From Middle English gravel, grauel, from Old French gravele, diminutive of grave (“gravel, seashore”), from Medieval Latin grava, ultimately from Proto-Celtic *grāwā (“gravel, pebbles”) (compare Breton groa, Cornish grow, Welsh gro), from Proto-Indo-European *gʰroh₁weh₂, from *gʰreh₁w- (“to grind”). Compare also Old English græfa (“coal”).