- metamorphosed limestone, consisting chiefly of recrystallized calcite or dolomite, capable of taking a high polish, occurring in a wide range of colors and variegations and used in sculpture and architecture.
- any variety of this stone: Carrara marble.
- an object made of or carved from this stone, especially a sculpture: Renaissance marbles.
- a piece of this stone:the fallen marbles of Roman ruins.
- (not in technical use) any of various breccias or other stones that take a high polish and show a variegated pattern.
- a marbled appearance or pattern; marbling: The woodwork had a greenish marble.
- anything resembling marble in hardness, coldness, smoothness, etc.: a brow of marble.
- something lacking in warmth or feeling.
- a little ball made of stone, baked clay, glass, porcelain, agate, or steel, especially for use in games.
- a game for children in which a marble is propelled by the thumb to hit another marble so as to drive it out of a circle drawn or scratched on the ground.
- normal rational faculties; sanity; wits; common sense: to have all one's marbles; to lose one's marbles.
- consisting or made of marble.
- like marble, as in hardness, coldness, smoothness, etc.
- lacking in warmth, compassion, or sympathy: marble heart.
- of variegated or mottled color.
- to color or stain like variegated marble.
- to apply a decorative pattern to (paper, the edges of a book, etc.) by transferring oil pigments floating on water.
- U.S. tennis player.
- a hard crystalline metamorphic rock resulting from the recrystallization of a limestone: takes a high polish and is used for building and sculpture
- (as modifier)
- a block or work of art of marble
- a small round glass or stone ball used in playing marbles
- to succeed or do the right thing
- to die
- to mottle with variegated streaks in imitation of marble
- cold, hard, or unresponsive
- white like some kinds of marble
