boulder
noun · verb
Simple meaning
A large smooth mass of rock detached from its place of origin.
Pronunciation
Say it like this:
bohlderSay the bold part a little louder.
IPA pronunciation (US)
ˈboʊldɚ
This word is pronounced essentially the same in American and British English, so one transcription covers both.
IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) is a standard way of writing speech sounds.
Definition
Everyday modern meanings first, grouped by part of speech.
noun
A large smooth mass of rock detached from its place of origin
A large mass of stone detached from the surrounding land.
geology
A particle greater than 256 mm in diameter, following the Wentworth scale
A large marble, in children's games.
A home rule municipality, the county seat of Boulder County, Colorado, United States.
verb
climbingambitransitive
To engage in bouldering.
Word at a Glance
- Difficulty
- B2 · Upper Intermediate
- Frequency
- Moderately Common
- Typical Use
- Neutral / general English
Word Aura™
How this word commonly comes across.
Aura for this meaning
This meaning: A large smooth mass of rock detached from its place of origin
Used this way, boulder is a reasonably familiar word that usually carries little praise or criticism of its own. It usually sounds natural in a wide range of settings.
- Emotional tone
- Neutral
- Formality
- Neutral
- Intensity
- Not strongly marked
- How common
- Moderately common
- Connotation
- Matter-of-fact
- Usage feel
- Neutral and straightforward
Word Aura describes common impressions, not a measurement. Tone changes with sentence, speaker, relationship and situation.
More ways to use boulder
- “The large boulder blocked the hiking trail after the rockslide.”
Share your sentence
Common Patterns and Combinations
How this word naturally appears with others.
Word Family
Related forms, grouped by how they connect.
Compound terms
Established multiword terms.
Unstratified soil deposited by a glacier.
Fern of eastern North America with pale green fronds and an aroma like hay.
A boulder that has been carried by a glacier to a place far distant from its place of origin.
A boulder that has been carried by a river to a place remote from its place of origin.
A boulder found on a shore remote from its place of origin.
Related Words
Connected to the same idea, not synonyms.
Ask Vocabaura
Understand the word your way.
What Does It Mean Here?
Words can change meaning depending on context.
Collections with this word
Themed sets you can browse for free.
Use it yourself
Knowing “boulder” starts when you use it. Pick a next step, all free.
Dictionary data from Wiktionary via the Free Dictionary API. Simple meanings, combinations and word intelligence are built from verified reference data, no AI is used to load this page.