a detached and rounded or worn rock, especially a large one.
Origin of boulder
1610–20; short for boulder stone;Middle English bulderston<Scandinavian; compare dialectal Swedish bullersten big stone (in a stream), equivalent to buller rumbling noise (<Old Swedish bulder) + stenstone
OTHER WORDS FROM boulder
bouldered,adjectiveboul·der·y,adjective
WORDS THAT MAY BE CONFUSED WITH boulder
1. bolder, boulder2. boulder , cobblestone, granule, pebble, rock, stone
They found that boulders in this area showed bright veins, narrow in width but about a meter in length, similar to what’s found in other carbonaceous chondritic meteorites that have landed on Earth.
Asteroid Bennu may have been home to ancient water flows|Neel Patel|October 8, 2020|MIT Technology Review
When NASA’s OSIRIS-REx arrived at near-Earth asteroid Bennu, scientists were dismayed to find a surface covered with hazardous-looking boulders.
The asteroid Bennu’s brittle boulders may make grabbing a sample easier|Lisa Grossman|October 8, 2020|Science News
She continues to boulder and sport-climb both at the gym and outdoors.
Why Experts Are Exploring Climbing as a Form of Therapy|Ula Chrobak|October 6, 2020|Outside Online
The trail finishes with a bang, as hikers must scramble hand over foot to climb several massive boulders on their way to the mesa top, where the modern world and parking lot await.
Travel Back in Time at Mesa Verde|Emily Pennington|September 27, 2020|Outside Online
If you have trails or open space nearby, scaling small boulders works, too.
A 15-Week Exercise Plan for Kids and Families|Krista Langlois|September 12, 2020|Outside Online
[Tatum laughs] Like I found the three other artsy goth kids at Boulder and hung out with them.
Channing Tatum and Jonah Hill on ‘22 Jump Street,’ Penis Kissing, and Julie Andrews’s Boobs|Kevin Fallon|June 10, 2014|DAILY BEAST
I did one semester at Boulder, which was more a stereotypical, American collegiate experience.
Channing Tatum and Jonah Hill on ‘22 Jump Street,’ Penis Kissing, and Julie Andrews’s Boobs|Kevin Fallon|June 10, 2014|DAILY BEAST
But even at Boulder I found the artsy kids and hung out with them.
Channing Tatum and Jonah Hill on ‘22 Jump Street,’ Penis Kissing, and Julie Andrews’s Boobs|Kevin Fallon|June 10, 2014|DAILY BEAST
Boulder was attractive because "it's beautiful and peaceful and people are nice—the opposite of New York—and my mother's there."
New York’s Nanny-State E-Cig Ban|Olivia Nuzzi|December 20, 2013|DAILY BEAST
Talia Eisenberg is a self-described former New York “party girl” who moved to Boulder Colorado to get healthy.
E-Cigarettes, Facing Ban, Still Figuring Out What They Want to Be|Alex Halperin|December 19, 2013|DAILY BEAST
The first obstacle was a 228 great spur of boulder conglomerate.
Kashmir|Sir Francis Edward Younghusband
Stewart gave Marie a hand here and there, and even paused to let her sit on a boulder and rest.
The Street of Seven Stars|Mary Roberts Rinehart
Her husband discovered her hanging by the cord, and, angered by her infidelity, threw a boulder at her.
North Dakota|Various
Jack returned to the creek, and crossing on the stepping-stones walked out on the point beyond and sat down on a boulder.
The Huntress|Hulbert Footner
For ten minutes or more, whilst our fate hung in the balance, we sat on a boulder and watched.
The Escaping Club|A. J. Evans
British Dictionary definitions for boulder
boulder
/ (ˈbəʊldə) /
noun
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
geologya rock fragment with a diameter greater than 256 mm and thus bigger than a cobble
Derived forms of boulder
bouldery, adjective
Word Origin for boulder
C13: probably of Scandinavian origin; compare Swedish dialect bullersten, from Old Swedish bulder rumbling + stenstone