Pebble vs. Stone: What's the Difference?
Edited by Huma Saeed || By Sawaira Riaz || Updated on October 7, 2023
A Pebble is a small, rounded rock, while a Stone is a solid, non-metallic mineral matter that can be of various sizes.
Key Differences
Pebble and Stone both refer to naturally occurring pieces of rock. While a Pebble is specifically a small, smooth, rounded rock, typically found near water bodies, a Stone can be any solid piece of mineral matter, not necessarily small or smooth.
Sawaira Riaz
Oct 07, 2023
The distinction between Pebble and Stone often lies in their size and appearance. A Pebble's defining features are its smoothness and roundness, often resulting from water or wind erosion. A Stone, meanwhile, can vary in size, shape, and texture.
Sawaira Riaz
Oct 07, 2023
Many people collect Pebbles due to their unique shapes, colors, and smooth textures. Stones, on the other hand, might be collected for a variety of reasons including their mineral content, historical significance, or sheer aesthetic appeal.
Sawaira Riaz
Oct 07, 2023
In landscaping, Pebbles are often used for decorative purposes in gardens, pathways, or ponds due to their uniform appearance. Stones can be used for structural purposes, like building walls, or decoration depending on their size and shape.
Sara Rehman
Oct 07, 2023
Both Pebbles and Stones have been essential to humans throughout history. Pebbles were possibly some of the earliest tools, used for grinding or as simple weapons. Stones have served in construction, as monuments, and even in cultural rituals.
Aimie Carlson
Oct 07, 2023
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Comparison Chart
Texture
Smooth and rounded, often by water.
Can be smooth, rough, jagged, or varied.
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Oct 07, 2023
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Pebble and Stone Definitions
Pebble
A rock fragment, smaller than a cobblestone.
Children love to skip Pebbles across calm lake waters.
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Oct 07, 2023
Stone
A hard, solid substance found in the ground.
They built the house with local Stone.
Janet White
Oct 07, 2023
Pebble
Collectible due to unique appearances.
She has a collection of Pebbles from every beach she's visited.
Aimie Carlson
Oct 07, 2023
Stone
A piece of rock used for a specific purpose.
The Stone monument stood tall in the town square.
Sawaira Riaz
Oct 07, 2023
Pebble
Often used in landscaping for decorative purposes.
They used white Pebbles to create a pathway in their garden.
Sara Rehman
Oct 07, 2023
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Pebble
A tiny stone made smooth by the action of water or sand.
Walking on the beach, he noticed a beautiful blue Pebble.
Aimie Carlson
Oct 07, 2023
Stone
Such concreted matter of a particular type. Often used in combination
Sandstone.
Soapstone.
Sawaira Riaz
Mar 05, 2023
Stone
A piece of rock that is used in construction
A coping stone.
A paving stone.
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Mar 05, 2023
Pebble
(Geology) A rock fragment between 4 and 64 millimeters (0.16 and 2.51 inches) in diameter, especially one that has been naturally rounded.
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Mar 05, 2023
Stone
Something, such as a hailstone, resembling a stone in shape or hardness.
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Mar 05, 2023
Stone
(Botany) The hard covering enclosing the seed in certain fruits, such as the cherry, plum, or peach.
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Mar 05, 2023
Stone
(Medicine) A mineral concretion in an organ, such as the kidney or gallbladder, or other body part; a calculus.
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Mar 05, 2023
Pebble
(geology) A particle from 4 to 64 mm in diameter, following the Wentworth scale.
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Mar 05, 2023
Stone
Pl. stone Abbr. st. A unit of weight in Great Britain, 14 pounds (6.4 kilograms).
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Mar 05, 2023
Pebble
(curling) A small droplet of water intentionally sprayed on the ice that cause irregularities on the surface.
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Mar 05, 2023
Stone
(Printing) A table with a smooth surface on which page forms are composed.
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Mar 05, 2023
Pebble
(transitive) To give (leather) a rough appearance with small rounded prominences.
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Mar 05, 2023
Pebble
To place a pebble at (a vertex of a graph) according to certain rules; see pebble game.
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Mar 05, 2023
Pebble
A small roundish piece of stone; especially, a stone worn and rounded by the action of water; a pebblestone.
As children gathering pebbles on the shore.
Sawaira Riaz
Mar 05, 2023
Pebble
Transparent and colorless rock crystal; as, Brazilian pebble; - so called by opticians.
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Mar 05, 2023
Pebble
To grain (leather) so as to produce a surface covered with small rounded prominences.
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Mar 05, 2023
Pebble
A small, naturally rounded rock.
She picked up a shiny Pebble from the riverbank.
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Oct 07, 2023
Stone
(British) A unit of mass equal to 14 pounds (≈6.3503 kilograms), formerly used for various commodities (wool, cheese, etc.), but now principally used for personal weight.
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Mar 05, 2023
Stone
(botany) The central part of some fruits, particularly drupes; consisting of the seed and a hard endocarp layer.
A peach stone
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Mar 05, 2023
Stone
(board games) A playing piece made of any hard material, used in various board games such as backgammon and go.
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Mar 05, 2023
Stone
(curling) A 42-pound, precisely shaped piece of granite with a handle attached, which is bowled down the ice.
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Mar 05, 2023
Stone
A stand or table with a smooth, flat top of stone, commonly marble, on which to arrange the pages of a book, newspaper, etc. before printing.
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Mar 05, 2023
Stone
(transitive) To pelt with stones, especially to kill by pelting with stones.
She got stoned to death after they found her.
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Mar 05, 2023
Stone
(intransitive) To form a stone during growth, with reference to fruit etc.
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Mar 05, 2023
Stone
To do nothing, to stare blankly into space and not pay attention when relaxing or when bored.
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Mar 05, 2023
Stone
(transitive) To lap with an abrasive stone to remove surface irregularities.
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Mar 05, 2023
Stone
(LGBT) Willing to give sexual pleasure but not to receive it.
Stone butch; stone femme
Pillow princess
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Mar 05, 2023
Stone
As a stone used with following adjective.
My father is stone deaf. This soup is stone cold.
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Mar 05, 2023
Stone
(slang) Absolutely, completely used with following adjectives.
I went stone crazy after she left.
I said the medication made my vision temporarily blurry, it did not make me stone blind.
Sawaira Riaz
Mar 05, 2023
Stone
Concreted earthy or mineral matter; also, any particular mass of such matter; as, a house built of stone; the boy threw a stone; pebbles are rounded stones.
They had brick for stone, and slime . . . for mortar.
Sawaira Riaz
Mar 05, 2023
Stone
The glass of a mirror; a mirror.
Lend me a looking-glass;If that her breath will mist or stain the stone,Why, then she lives.
Sawaira Riaz
Mar 05, 2023
Stone
A calculous concretion, especially one in the kidneys or bladder; the disease arising from a calculus.
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Mar 05, 2023
Stone
A monument to the dead; a gravestone.
Should some relenting eyeGlance on the where our cold relics lie.
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Mar 05, 2023
Stone
The hard endocarp of drupes; as, the stone of a cherry or peach. See Illust. of Endocarp.
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Mar 05, 2023
Stone
A weight which legally is fourteen pounds, but in practice varies with the article weighed.
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Mar 05, 2023
Stone
Fig.: Symbol of hardness and insensibility; torpidness; insensibility; as, a heart of stone.
I have not yet forgot myself to stone.
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Mar 05, 2023
Stone
A stand or table with a smooth, flat top of stone, commonly marble, on which to arrange the pages of a book, newspaper, etc., before printing; - called also imposing stone.
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Mar 05, 2023
Stone
To pelt, beat, or kill with stones.
And they stoned Stephen, calling upon God, and saying, Lord Jesus, receive my spirit.
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Mar 05, 2023
Stone
To make like stone; to harden.
O perjured woman! thou dost stone my heart.
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Mar 05, 2023
Stone
To free from stones; also, to remove the seeds of; as, to stone a field; to stone cherries; to stone raisins.
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Mar 05, 2023
Stone
To wall or face with stones; to line or fortify with stones; as, to stone a well; to stone a cellar.
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Mar 05, 2023
Stone
A lump or mass of hard consolidated mineral matter;
He threw a rock at me
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Mar 05, 2023
Stone
Material consisting of the aggregate of minerals like those making up the Earth's crust;
That mountain is solid rock
Stone is abundant in New England and there are many quarries
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Mar 05, 2023
Stone
Building material consisting of a piece of rock hewn in a definite shape for a special purpose;
He wanted a special stone to mark the site
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Mar 05, 2023
Stone
A crystalline rock that can be cut and polished for jewelry;
He had the gem set in a ring for his wife
She had jewels made of all the rarest stones
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Mar 05, 2023
Stone
The hard inner (usually woody) layer of the pericarp of some fruits (as peaches or plums or cherries or olives) that contains the seed;
You should remove the stones from prunes before cooking
Sawaira Riaz
Mar 05, 2023
Stone
An avoirdupois unit used to measure the weight of a human body; equal to 14 pounds;
A heavy chap who must have weighed more than twenty stone
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Mar 05, 2023
Stone
United States jurist who served on the United States Supreme Court as Chief Justice (1872-1946)
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Mar 05, 2023
Stone
A lack of feeling or expression or movement;
He must have a heart of stone
Her face was as hard as stone
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Mar 05, 2023
Stone
Kill by throwing stones at;
Adulterers should be stoned according to the Koran
Sawaira Riaz
Mar 05, 2023
Stone
Can refer to precious or semi-precious gems.
Her necklace had a beautiful blue Stone pendant.
Janet White
Oct 07, 2023
Stone
A measure of weight in some cultures.
He lost two Stones after his new diet.
Harlon Moss
Oct 07, 2023
Stone
Used metaphorically to describe strength or permanence.
He was her rock, her Stone during tough times.
Sawaira Riaz
Oct 07, 2023
FAQs
How does a Stone differ from a Pebble?
A Stone is a solid piece of mineral matter of any size, while a Pebble is specifically small and rounded.
Sawaira Riaz
Oct 07, 2023
Are all Pebbles small?
Typically, yes. Pebbles are generally small, rounded rocks.
Sawaira Riaz
Oct 07, 2023
Can a Stone be precious?
Yes, some stones, like diamonds or rubies, are precious gems.
Sawaira Riaz
Oct 07, 2023
Why are Pebbles often smooth?
The smoothness of Pebbles often results from erosion by water or wind.
Aimie Carlson
Oct 07, 2023
Can a Pebble be used in construction?
While Pebbles can be used decoratively, they're not typically primary construction materials.
Janet White
Oct 07, 2023
What's the significance of Stones in history?
Stones have been used for tools, construction, monuments, and cultural rituals.
Aimie Carlson
Oct 07, 2023
Are Pebbles valuable?
While most Pebbles aren't inherently valuable, some, due to rarity or appearance, might be prized by collectors.
Sawaira Riaz
Oct 07, 2023
Is a rock the same as a Stone?
The terms can be used interchangeably, though "rock" may often refer to larger formations than "Stone."
Aimie Carlson
Oct 07, 2023
How are Stones commonly used today?
Stones are used in construction, jewelry, decoration, and even in certain games or sports.
Harlon Moss
Oct 07, 2023
About Author
Written by
Sawaira RiazSawaira is a dedicated content editor at difference.wiki, where she meticulously refines articles to ensure clarity and accuracy. With a keen eye for detail, she upholds the site's commitment to delivering insightful and precise content.
Edited by
Huma SaeedHuma is a renowned researcher acclaimed for her innovative work in Difference Wiki. Her dedication has led to key breakthroughs, establishing her prominence in academia. Her contributions continually inspire and guide her field.
