gravel
gb/ɡɹˈævəl/ us/ɡɹˈævəl/
B1
English
~ 6800
Senses
0 senses
Noun
B1
entity
1
small stones used for surfacing
Many small stones used to cover roads, paths, or gardens.
Usage pattern:
[something] is covered with gravel
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.
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.)
Collocations
gravel road
|gravel driveway
|loose gravel
|crushed gravel
|pea gravel
|spread gravel
Themes
construction
|daily_life
|environment
|housing
|work
|core_vocabulary
Examples
- The driveway is covered with fresh white gravel.
- Workers spread gravel on the path to keep it from getting muddy.
- 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.
- He put gravel on the garden path.
- Small cars drive slowly on the gravel.
- They ordered more gravel for the driveway.
- I hear the car on the gravel outside the house.
unknown
B2
entity
2
natural layer of small stones
Many small stones that lie together in nature, for example on a riverbed or beach.
Usage pattern:
gravel on [a surface]
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.
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.)
Collocations
river gravel
|gravel bar
|gravel bed
|gravel bank
|gravel beach
Themes
environment
|geography
|nature
|core_vocabulary
Examples
- The clear water flowed over the pale gravel of the riverbed.
- We walked along the shore, our feet crunching on the gravel.
- 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.
- We sat on the gravel by the water.
- 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.
Verb
B2
action
3
cover a surface with gravel
To put gravel on the ground to make a road, path, or other surface.
Usage pattern:
to gravel [a surface]
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).
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.)
Collocations
gravel a driveway
|gravel the path
|newly graveled road
|graveled parking lot
|be gravelled over
Themes
construction
|daily_life
|housing
|work
Examples
- They decided to gravel the parking area before winter.
- The city plans to gravel the path along the river this spring.
- 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.
- We want to gravel our long driveway.
- 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.
Verb
literary
C1
action
4
confuse or perplex deeply
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.
Usage pattern:
[something] gravels [someone]
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.
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.)
Collocations
it gravels me
|gravels the experts
|gravels the mind
Themes
emotions
|thinking
|communication
Examples
- The sudden change in his story gravels me.
- What gravels her most is his complete lack of explanation.
- 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.
- The strange rule gravels many students.
- It gravels her that he will not say why.
- Their choice gravels the other workers.
- This problem gravels the experts in the field.
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.