cobble

1 of 2

verb

cob·​ble ˈkä-bəl 

cobbled; cobbling ˈkä-b(ə-)liŋ 

transitive verb

1

chiefly British : to mend or patch coarsely

2

: repair, make

cobble shoes

3

: to make or put together roughly or hastily

—often used with together or up

cobble together an agreement

cobble up a temporary solution

cobble

2 of 2

noun

1

: cobblestone

2

cobbles plural, chiefly British : lump coal about the size of small cobblestones

Synonyms

Verb

• jury-rig
• patch (together)
• throw up

Examples of cobble in a Sentence

Verb

expensive leather shoes cobbled in Italy

Noun

a street paved with cobbles

Recent Examples on the Web

Verb

Both Oregon State and Washington State worked quickly to cobble together 2025 football schedules after deciding last summer not to renew the 2024 football scheduling agreement with the Mountain West. —Chris Vannini, New York Times, 29 Apr. 2025

Wright has attempted to cobble together a patchwork of support. —Christine Ro, Forbes, 22 Mar. 2025

Noun

Representing a mix of basaltic and non-basaltic cobbles, the collection seemed strange, thanks, in part, to its composition. —Sam Walters, Discover Magazine, 17 Apr. 2025

The race then ends with one and a half laps of the historic Roubaix velodrome, on the Belgian border, before the winner is presented with a commemorative cobble of their own on the podium. —Jacob Whitehead, New York Times, 13 Apr. 2025

Word History

Etymology

Verb

Middle English coblen, perhaps back-formation from cobelere cobbler

First Known Use

Verb

15th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Noun

1600, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Rhymes for cobble

• bauble
• gobble
• hobble
• labile
• squabble
• wobble
• cantabile

Kids Definition

cobble

1 of 2 verb

cob·​ble ˈkäb-əl 

cobbled; cobbling -(ə-)liŋ 

: to make roughly or hastily

—often used with together or up

cobble

2 of 2 noun

: a rounded stone larger than a pebble and smaller than a boulder