marble
gb/mˈɑɹbəl/ us/mˈɑɹbəl/
A2
English
~ 8300
márvány, üveggolyó, golyó, ész, ép ész, márványoz, márványos mintát ad, márványszobor, márványfaragvány
NOUN
B1
1
márvány
B1
Usage pattern:
[object] made of marble
The hotel lobby had a black-and-white marble floor.
A szálloda előcsarnokában fekete-fehér márványpadló volt.
They chose marble countertops for their new kitchen.
Márvány munkalapokat választottak az új konyhájukba.
Many ancient temples were built with solid blocks of marble.
The artist preferred marble because it was easier to carve than granite.
A cool piece of marble lay on top of the wooden table as a cutting surface.
Learner examples
The steps in front of the bank are made of marble.
A bank előtti lépcsők márványból vannak.
She cleaned the marble table with a soft cloth.
Puha ruhával tisztította meg a márványasztalt.
We walked across the cold marble floor with bare feet.
There is a large marble wall in the main hall.
Common mistake:
Learners sometimes confuse 'marble' with 'marbles' (the toy or the idiom about sanity). Use singular 'marble' when talking about the stone material, and plural 'marbles' mainly for the toy or the idiom.
Meaning
hard stone used in buildings
Collocations
marble floor
|marble countertop
|marble statue
|white marble
|polished marble
|slab of marble
Synonyms
stone (More general; refers to any rock material, not specifically marble.)
|
granite (A different kind of hard stone often used in a similar way for countertops and buildings.)
Antonyms
wood (A common building material that is light and organic, unlike heavy stone such as marble.)
Themes
materials
|buildings
|art
|housing
|arts_entertainment
|core_vocabulary
Definition
A very hard, smooth stone, usually white with lines of color, used to make floors, tables, and statues.
A hard, smooth stone, often white or patterned, that is cut and polished for use in buildings, floors, countertops, and sculptures.
NOUN
A2
2
Usage pattern:
a game of marbles
He kept his favorite marble in a special box.
A kedvenc üveggolyóját egy külön dobozban tartotta.
The children were playing marbles in the schoolyard.
A gyerekek üveggolyóztak az iskolaudvaron.
She won three marbles from her friend in one game.
A blue marble rolled under the sofa and disappeared.
They traded marbles during recess, swapping colors and sizes.
Learner examples
The boy dropped a marble on the floor.
A fiú leejtett egy üveggolyót a padlóra.
She has a bag full of marbles.
Van egy zacskója tele üveggolyókkal.
They play marbles after school every day.
I found a red marble in the park.
Common mistake:
Learners sometimes confuse this meaning with the idiom 'lose your marbles' (to lose your mind). When talking about the toy, use clear physical actions like 'play marbles' or 'a bag of marbles' to avoid confusion.
Meaning
small glass toy ball
Collocations
play marbles
|glass marbles
|a bag of marbles
|lose a marble
|collect marbles
|a game of marbles
Synonyms
toy (More general; does not specify that it is a small glass ball used in certain games.)
Antonyms
coin (In children’s games, a coin is a different type of small object, often used as money rather than a toy ball.)
Themes
games
|children
|toys
|daily_life
|arts_entertainment
|core_vocabulary
Definition
A small, round glass ball that children play games with.
A small hard ball, usually made of glass with colored swirls inside, used as a toy in children's games.
NOUN
B2
INFORMAL
3
Usage pattern:
lose your marbles
I thought he’d lost his marbles when he quit his job with no plan.
Azt hittem, elment az esze, amikor minden terv nélkül felmondott.
She’s the only one here who still has all her marbles.
Ő az egyetlen itt, akinek még a helyén van az esze.
Sometimes I wonder if my grandfather is starting to lose his marbles.
You must be out of your marbles to try that without practice.
He may act strange, but he hasn’t lost his marbles yet.
Learner examples
My dad works too much, and I think he is losing his marbles.
Apám túl sokat dolgozik, és szerintem kezd elmenni az esze.
She jokes that her grandma is old but still has all her marbles.
Azzal viccelődik, hogy a nagymamája idős, de még mindig a helyén van az esze.
If you do that, people will say you have lost your marbles.
He is very tired and talks like he has no marbles left.
Common mistake:
Learners sometimes use this meaning in serious medical or formal contexts. 'Marbles' for sanity is informal and often humorous or light. For medical or respectful speech, use 'mental health' or 'sanity' instead. Also, this meaning is usually plural ('lose your marbles'), not singular.
Meaning
someone’s sanity or mental clarity
Collocations
lose your marbles
|have all your marbles
|not have all your marbles
|keep your marbles
Synonyms
sanity (More formal and neutral; 'marbles' is informal and often humorous.)
Antonyms
insanity (Refers to serious mental illness or extreme lack of reason, the opposite of having your marbles.)
Themes
emotions
|mental_health
|informal_speech
|health
|core_vocabulary
Definition
A person’s normal and clear way of thinking, especially in informal phrases about losing it.
Someone's mental abilities and sanity, especially in expressions suggesting loss of clear thinking or normal behavior.
VERB
C1
4
márványoz
C1
Usage pattern:
to marble [something]
Gently drag a knife through the batter to marble the cake.
Óvatosan húzz végig egy kést a tésztában, hogy márványos legyen a sütemény.
The artist used two shades of blue to marble the paper.
A művész a kék két árnyalatával márványozta a papírt.
You can marble the surface by swirling the paint with a thin stick.
She learned how to marble fabric using special dyes and water.
The chef marbled the cheesecake with raspberry sauce before baking.
Learner examples
Use a fork to marble the chocolate into the cream.
Villával keverd bele a csokoládét a krémbe, hogy márványos legyen.
He wants to learn how to marble paper for art class.
Szeretné megtanulni, hogyan kell papírt márványozni a rajzórára.
She marbled the top of the cake with red sauce.
They will marble the paint to make a special pattern.
Common mistake:
Learners sometimes think 'marble' as a verb means 'to turn into stone'. It actually means to give something a pattern that looks like marble stone, often by gently mixing colors.
Meaning
give something a marbled pattern
Collocations
marble the cake
|marbled effect
|marbled paper
|marbled surface
|marbled chocolate
Synonyms
streak (Focuses on adding lines of color but does not always suggest the specific marble-like look.)
Antonyms
smooth (To make a color or surface even and uniform, the opposite of adding a marbled or streaked pattern.)
Themes
art
|cooking
|design
|arts_entertainment
|daily_life
|core_vocabulary
Definition
To mix or move colors so that they form lines and waves, like the pattern in marble stone.
To make a surface have a streaked or swirled pattern of different colors that resembles marble stone.
NOUN
B2
5
Usage pattern:
a marble of [subject]
The museum owns several Greek marbles from the fifth century BC.
A múzeum több Kr. e. 5. századi görög márványfaragványt őriz.
We stopped to admire a marble of a reclining figure in the gallery.
Megálltunk, hogy megcsodáljunk egy fekvő alakot ábrázoló márványszobrot a galériában.
Many of the marbles in the collection were taken from ancient temples.
The famous marble stood alone in the center of the dark room.
This delicate marble of a young woman was carved by an unknown artist.
Learner examples
The museum has many old marbles from Greece.
A múzeumban sok régi, Görögországból származó márványszobor van.
She likes the marble of a horse in the main hall.
Tetszik neki a nagyteremben álló, lovat ábrázoló márványszobor.
We saw a big marble of a king in the city square.
That marble is very famous and very old.
Common mistake:
Learners may confuse this sense with the toy meaning or the material itself. When 'marble' refers to an artwork, it is often used in art or museum contexts, sometimes in the plural 'marbles' for a group of statues.
Meaning
sculpture made of marble
Collocations
ancient marble
|classical marble
|a marble of a god
|Greek marbles
|Roman marbles
Synonyms
statue (Any carved or molded figure; it may be made of many materials, not only marble.)
Antonyms
painting (A flat work of art created with paint on a surface, rather than a three-dimensional marble sculpture.)
Themes
art
|history
|arts_entertainment
|core_vocabulary
Definition
A statue or art object that is made from marble stone.
A sculpture or decorative object carved from marble stone.
Grammar
Dictionary form
marble
IPA
GB/mˈɑɹbəl/
US/mˈɑɹbəl/
Syllables & stress
marble (1 syllable)
Stress on 1st syllable (marble)
Word forms
Noun
- Base: marble
- Plural: marble, marbles
Verb
- Base: marble
- 3rd Person Singular: marbles
- Present Participle: marbling
- Past: marbled
Word family
Forms
marbles
noun
marbling
verb
marbled
verb
Expressions
have all your marbles
1/hˈæv ˈɔl jˈʊɹ mˈɑɹbəlz/
idiom
informal
be mentally normal and clear
To think and act in a normal, clear way; not to be crazy or very confused.
Examples
- Don’t worry, my grandfather may be old, but he still has all his marbles.
- Some people doubt that the leader has all his marbles after that strange decision.
lose your marbles
1/lˈuz jˈʊɹ mˈɑɹbəlz/
idiom
informal
become crazy or very confused
To become unable to think clearly or act normally, often said in a funny or informal way.
Examples
- I thought she’d lost her marbles when she sold everything to travel with no plan.
- Work has been so stressful that I feel like I’m going to lose my marbles.
- He must have lost his marbles to drive that fast in the rain.