a smooth rounded mass of rock that has a diameter greater than 25cm and that has been shaped by erosion and transported by ice or water from its original position
2. geology
a rock fragment with a diameter greater than 256 mm and thus bigger than a cobble
Derived forms
bouldery (ˈbouldery)
adjective
Word origin
C13: probably of Scandinavian origin; compare Swedish dialect bullersten, from Old Swedish bulder rumbling + stenstone
Boulder in American English
(ˈboʊldər)
city in NC Colo.: pop. 95,000
Word origin
from the abundance of large rocks there
boulder in American English
(ˈboʊldər)
noun
1.
any large rock worn smooth and round by weather and water
2. Geology
such a rock larger than a cobblestone with a diameter of at least 256 mm (c. 10 in)
Word origin
ME bulder, short for bulderston < Scand, as in Swed bullersten, lit., noisy stone < bullra, to roar (akin to bellow) + sten, stone
Examples of 'boulder' in a sentence
boulder
The granite is reduced to heaps of reddish rounded boulders.
Richard Fortey THE EARTH: An Intimate History (2004)
The barricade of giant ice boulders reared up ahead of us.
Times, Sunday Times (2009)
No one could work out who seemed to be made out of two huge boulders.
The Sun (2008)
The floor was bare earth with the larger and looser boulders removed.
Brian Thompson DEVASTATING EDEN: The Search for Utopia in America (2004)
Huge boulders of molten lava sprang out of its summit and crashed to the ground.
Times, Sunday Times (2011)
The escape route then passed through large boulders and up a steep hillside.
Times, Sunday Times (2012)
Much of the climb is over small and large boulders.
Times, Sunday Times (2009)
It shall be a very large boulder.
Times, Sunday Times (2011)
Huge boulders sat on the brink of wells of shadow in which creatures with hot breath were spawned.
Hyland, Paul Indian Balm - Travels in the Southern Subcontinent (1994)
It just got unbalanced by a big boulder called Iraq.
Times, Sunday Times (2010)
So he put his cloth on a huge boulder by the men's bathing section and waded in.
Clerk, Jayana & Siegel, Ruth Modern Literatures of the Non-Western World: Where the Waters Are Born (1995)
As we came to the bottom of the dip, we found the body of the bear behind a big boulder.
Edward Beauclerk Maurice THE LAST OF THE GENTLEMEN ADVENTURERS: Coming of Age in the Arctic (2004)
In other languages
boulder
British English: boulder NOUN
A boulder is a large rounded rock.
It is thought that the train hit a boulder.
American English: boulder
Brazilian Portuguese: pedregulho
Chinese: 圆形巨石
European Spanish: canto rodado
French: gros rocher
German: Felsblock
Italian: massotondeggiante
Japanese: 大きな丸石
Korean: 바위
European Portuguese: pedregulho
Latin American Spanish: canto rodado
Chinese translation of 'boulder'
boulder
(ˈbəuldəʳ)
n(c)
巨石 (jùshí) (块(塊), kuài)
(noun)
Definition
a smooth rounded mass of rock shaped by erosion
I felt myself smash against a boulder.
Synonyms
rock
She sat cross-legged on the rock.
stone
a diamond ring with three stones
Additional synonyms
in the sense of stone
Definition
a precious or semiprecious stone that has been cut and polished