gravel
gb/ɡɹˈævəl/ us/ɡɹˈævəl/
B1
English
~ 6800
kavics, murva, kavicsréteg, kavicságy, kaviccsal felszór, összezavar, bosszant, zavarba ejt
NOUN
B1
1
Usage pattern:
[something] is covered with gravel
The driveway is covered with fresh white gravel.
A kocsibejárót friss fehér kavics borítja.
Workers spread gravel on the path to keep it from getting muddy.
A munkások kavicsot terítettek az ösvényre, hogy ne legyen sáros.
Heavy rain washed some of the gravel off the road.
We chose dark gray gravel for the front garden.
The truck delivered two tons of gravel for the new parking area.
Learner examples
The road to the farm is made of gravel.
A farmhoz vezető út kavicsos.
He put gravel on the garden path.
Kavicsot szórt a kerti ösvényre.
Small cars drive slowly on the gravel.
They ordered more gravel for the driveway.
I hear the car on the gravel outside the house.
Common mistake:
Learners sometimes confuse "gravel" with "grave" (a place where a dead person is buried) or with the adjective "gravelly" (having a rough, low sound). Another confusion is thinking gravel only appears naturally on beaches or rivers; in everyday use it very often refers to a bought construction material for roads, driveways, and paths.
Meaning
small stones used for surfacing
Collocations
gravel road
|gravel driveway
|loose gravel
|crushed gravel
|pea gravel
|spread gravel
Synonyms
crushed stone (More technical and specific; emphasizes that the stones have been mechanically broken.)
|
aggregate (Technical; a broader construction term including gravel, sand, and crushed stone as a combined material.)
Antonyms
asphalt (Refers to a smooth, glued-together road surface, unlike loose stones.)
Themes
construction
|daily_life
|environment
|housing
|work
|core_vocabulary
Definition
Many small stones used to cover roads, paths, or gardens.
Small loose stones, often mixed with sand, used to make or cover roads, driveways, paths, and other surfaces.
B2
2
kavicsréteg
B2
kavicságy
C1
Usage pattern:
gravel on [a surface]
The clear water flowed over the pale gravel of the riverbed.
A tiszta víz a folyómeder világos kavicsain folyt át.
We walked along the shore, our feet crunching on the gravel.
Végigsétáltunk a parton, és a lábunk alatt ropogott a kavics.
Small fish were hiding among the pieces of gravel at the bottom of the stream.
The campsite was on a flat area of gravel beside the lake.
They took samples of the river gravel for analysis.
Learner examples
There is gravel at the bottom of the river.
Kavics van a folyó alján.
We sat on the gravel by the water.
Leültünk a víz mellett a kavicsra.
The boat stopped in the shallow gravel near the bank.
The fish swim close to the gravel.
The child throws stones from the gravel into the lake.
Common mistake:
Learners may think this natural sense is completely different from construction gravel. In fact, the construction material often comes from natural gravel deposits that are dug up and cleaned.
Meaning
natural layer of small stones
Collocations
river gravel
|gravel bar
|gravel bed
|gravel bank
|gravel beach
Synonyms
pebbles (Focuses on the individual small stones rather than the whole layer or deposit.)
|
shingle (Mainly British; commonly used for pebbly beaches rather than riverbeds in general.)
Antonyms
sand (Refers to much smaller, fine grains, contrasting with the larger particles that make up gravel.)
Themes
environment
|geography
|nature
|core_vocabulary
Definition
Many small stones that lie together in nature, for example on a riverbed or beach.
A naturally occurring layer or bed of small stones, often found on riverbeds, lake shores, or beaches, sometimes mixed with sand and soil.
VERB
B2
3
Usage pattern:
to gravel [a surface]
They decided to gravel the parking area before winter.
Úgy döntöttek, hogy tél előtt kaviccsal felszórják a parkolót.
The city plans to gravel the path along the river this spring.
A város azt tervezi, hogy tavasszal kaviccsal szórja fel a folyó menti ösvényt.
After the machines graded the land, workers came in to gravel the driveway.
We hired a contractor to gravel the access road to the cabin.
The campsite was recently graveled to improve drainage.
Learner examples
They will gravel the road next week.
A jövő héten kaviccsal fogják felszórni az utat.
We want to gravel our long driveway.
Szeretnénk kaviccsal felszórni a hosszú kocsibejárónkat.
The workers gravel the path behind the house.
The parking lot was graveled last year.
He plans to gravel the area for the new shed.
Common mistake:
Learners often use only the phrase "put gravel on" and do not realize that "gravel" can be a verb. Both are correct, but in written English, especially about construction, the verb "to gravel" is common (e.g., "They graveled the road"). Spelling can vary between dialects: "graveled" / "graveling" (US) and "gravelled" / "gravelling" (UK).
Meaning
cover a surface with gravel
Collocations
gravel a driveway
|gravel the path
|newly graveled road
|graveled parking lot
|be gravelled over
Synonyms
surface (More general; can mean to cover with any material, not only gravel.)
|
pave (Often implies a hard, fixed surface such as concrete or asphalt, while "gravel" stays loose.)
Antonyms
clear (Means to remove material from a surface, which is the opposite of covering it with gravel.)
Themes
construction
|daily_life
|housing
|work
Definition
To put gravel on the ground to make a road, path, or other surface.
To cover or surface an area with gravel.
VERB
C1
LITERARY
4
Usage pattern:
[something] gravels [someone]
The sudden change in his story gravels me.
Összezavar, hogy hirtelen megváltozik az, amit mesél.
What gravels her most is his complete lack of explanation.
A legjobban az bosszantja, hogy egyáltalán nem ad magyarázatot.
This decision by the board gravels even the most experienced managers.
It gravels me that no one can give a straight answer.
The mystery gravels investigators to this day.
Learner examples
His answer gravels me; I do not understand it.
A válasza összezavar; nem értem.
The strange rule gravels many students.
A furcsa szabály sok diákot összezavar.
It gravels her that he will not say why.
Their choice gravels the other workers.
This problem gravels the experts in the field.
Common mistake:
Learners almost never use this sense because it is old-fashioned and rare. They should normally choose common verbs like "confuse," "puzzle," or "baffle" instead. If they see "it gravels me" in older texts, they should understand it as "it confuses/annoys me" rather than thinking it has to do with stones.
Meaning
confuse or perplex deeply
Collocations
it gravels me
|gravels the experts
|gravels the mind
Synonyms
perplex (Common modern verb in formal or neutral contexts; means to confuse someone, without the old-fashioned flavor of "gravel".)
|
baffle (Stresses strong confusion or inability to understand, similar strength but much more common today.)
Antonyms
clarify (Means to make something clear and easy to understand, the opposite of causing confusion.)
Themes
emotions
|thinking
|communication
Definition
To make someone very confused so that they do not know what to say or do; sometimes also to make someone very annoyed. This use is old-fashioned.
To confuse, perplex, or puzzle someone so much that they do not know what to say or do; sometimes also used to mean to irritate deeply.
Grammar
Dictionary form
gravel
IPA
GB/ɡɹˈævəl/
US/ɡɹˈævəl/
Syllables & stress
gravel (1 syllable)
Stress on 1st syllable (gravel)
Word forms
Noun
- Base: gravel
- Plural: gravel
Verb
- Base: gravel
- 3rd Person Singular: gravels
- Present Participle: graveling, gravelling
- Past: graveled, gravelled
Word family
Forms
gravels
verb
graveling
verb
gravelling
verb
graveled
verb
gravelled
verb
Core family
gravelly
adjective
Expressions
gravel driveway
1/ɡɹˈævəl dɹˈaɪvwˌeɪ/
fixed phrase
driveway covered with gravel
A short private road to a house where cars drive and park, covered with many small stones.
Examples
- Their gravel driveway curves around the side of the house.
- You can hear cars coming up the gravel driveway from inside the kitchen.
gravel road
1/ɡɹˈævəl ɹˈoʊd/
fixed phrase
road with a gravel surface
A road that is not paved, but is covered with many small stones.
Examples
- We turned off the highway onto a long gravel road.
- In heavy rain, the gravel road becomes full of deep ruts.
loose gravel
1/lˈus ɡɹˈævəl/
fixed phrase
unpacked, shifting gravel
Gravel that is not hard or fixed, and moves easily when you walk or drive on it.
Examples
- Cyclists should slow down on loose gravel.
- The sign warned of loose gravel on the next stretch of road.
pea gravel
1/pˈi ɡɹˈævəl/
fixed phrase
technical
small rounded decorative gravel
Very small, round pieces of gravel, about the size of peas, often used in gardens and yards.
Examples
- They filled the play area with pea gravel instead of sand.
- Pea gravel is popular for garden paths and around plants.
gravel pit
1/ɡɹˈævəl pˈɪt/
fixed phrase
open hole used to dig gravel
A large open hole in the ground where companies dig and take gravel for building and roads.
Examples
- Trucks carried loads of stone from the gravel pit all day.
- The children were warned to stay away from the gravel pit.
- The town is debating whether to allow a new gravel pit near the river.
- Trucks carried loads of stone from the gravel pit to the construction site.