gravel

1 of 3

noun

grav·​el ˈgra-vəl 

1

obsolete : sand

2

a

: loose rounded fragments of rock

b

: a stratum or deposit of gravel

also : a surface covered with gravel

a gravel road

3

: small calculi in the kidneys and urinary bladder

gravel

2 of 3

verb

graveled or gravelled; graveling or gravelling ˈgra-v(ə-)liŋ 

transitive verb

1

: to cover or spread with gravel

2

a

: perplex, confound

b

: irritate, nettle

disappointed … and graveled him a good deal

—Mark Twain

gravel

3 of 3

adjective

: gravelly sense 2

—used of the human voice

Synonyms

Verb

• baffle
• puzzle
• confuse
• bewilder
• perplex
• muddy
• maze

Adjective

• hoarse
• gruff
• husky
• gravelly
• coarse

Examples of gravel in a Sentence

Verb

managed to gravel his opponent in the debate by focusing on atypical examples

Adjective

after his bout with laryngitis, he had a terribly gravel voice

Recent Examples on the Web

Noun

But the version at the Saenger was a different song entirely—quiet and haunting, delivered in a rocks-and-gravel voice to a dark hall that had gone dead silent. —Tom Piazza september 12, Literary Hub, 12 Sep. 2025

Then in the 1960s, Lake Burtnieks’s northern shore was used as a gravel quarry. —Sarah Durn, Popular Science, 11 Sep. 2025

Verb

These are organized into geologic map units, which range in composition from loose sand and gravel to very old bedrock. —David Bressan, Forbes.com, 13 Sep. 2025

Hence the sensitivity to questions over the potential pivot to gravel racing. —Frederick Dreier, Outside, 5 Sep. 2025

Adjective

According to Meyer, gravel distribution is a part of the district's work in preventing levee slides, a slope failure along a levee usually caused by heavy rain. —Arkansas Online, 20 Aug. 2025

Every Tuesday evening cyclists depart downtown at 5 P.M. and the pace ramps up to eye-popping speeds as the peloton spins along the paved and gravel roads outside town. —Frederick Dreier, Outside Online, 24 July 2024

Word History

Etymology

Noun

Middle English, from Anglo-French gravele, diminutive of grave, greve river bank, stony ground

First Known Use

Noun

13th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Verb

1543, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Adjective

1939, in the meaning defined above

Phrases Containing gravel

• gravel-blind

Rhymes for gravel

• caval
• cavil
• gavel
• travel
• unravel

Kids Definition

gravel

1 of 3 noun

grav·​el ˈgrav-əl 

: small pieces of rock and pebbles larger than grains of sand

gravel

2 of 3 adjective

: gravelly sense 2

gravel

3 of 3 verb

graveled or gravelled; graveling or gravelling

ˈgrav-(ə-)liŋ

: to cover or spread with gravel

Medical Definition

gravel

noun

grav·​el ˈgrav-əl 

1

: a deposit of small calculous concretions in the kidneys and urinary bladder compare microlith

2

: the condition that results from the presence of deposits of gravel