Definition

1. Noun:
   • A children's game: A game played with small, hard balls, typically made of glass, clay, or agate. Players often shoot or roll the balls to hit other balls or into a target area.
   • The small balls used in this game: The small, spherical objects, often colorful, used to play the game of marbles.
   • Slang for common sense or mental faculties: Informal term meaning sanity, intelligence, or basic mental capacity. Often used in phrases like "lose one's marbles."

Usage and Examples

• Referring to the game:
  • The children are outside playing marbles.
  • Do you know the rules for marbles?
• Referring to the small balls:
  • He keeps his favorite marbles in a leather bag.
  • The marble was a beautiful swirl of blue and white.
• Referring to mental faculties (informal):
  • After that strange conversation, I think he's lost his marbles.
  • You'd have to be without your marbles to try something so dangerous.

Advanced Usage

• "to lose one's marbles": To become irrational, crazy, or senile.
  • Ever since he retired, I swear he's starting to lose his marbles.
• "to have all one's marbles": To be sane and mentally sound.
  • Despite his age, the old professor still has all his marbles.

Variants and Related Words

• Marble (noun): The singular form of the small ball. Also refers to the type of stone.
  • He found a single marble under the sofa.
• Marbling (noun): A pattern or coloring that resembles marble stone.
  • The marbling on that steak is excellent.

Synonyms

• For the game/balls: taws, allies, shooters (specific types of marbles).
• For mental faculties (informal): wits, sanity, mind, reason, senses.

Related Idioms

• "Pick up your marbles and go home": To quit an activity in anger or protest, often taking your resources with you. (Derived from a child ending a game of marbles this way.)
  • After his idea was rejected, he just picked up his marbles and went home, refusing to help with the project.

Noun

1. the basic human power of intelligent thought and perception
   • he used his wits to get ahead
   • I was scared out of my wits
   • he still had all his marbles and was in full possession of a lively mind
2. a children's game played with little balls made of a hard substance (as glass)