quarrying

noun

quar·​ry·​ing ˈkwȯr-ē-iŋ How to pronounce quarrying (audio)
ˈkwär-
Synonyms of quarryingnext
: the business, occupation, or act of extracting useful material (such as building stone) from quarries

Examples of quarrying in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
There also were drops in mining, quarrying, and oil and gas extraction, as well as wholesale trade. — Ted Johnson, Deadline, 5 Sep. 2025 The province’s economy is largely driven by its oil and gas extraction, as well as mining and quarrying. — Chantelle Lee, Time, 5 May 2026 According to the agency, gains made in health care were offset by losses in federal government employment, as well as mining, quarrying, and oil and gas extraction. — Marni Rose McFall, MSNBC Newsweek, 5 Sep. 2025 Ushering in an era marked by recovery, agriculture and viticulture flourished again, alongside mining and granite quarrying. — Valentina Di Donato, Forbes.com, 6 June 2026 See All Example Sentences for quarrying

Word History

First Known Use

circa 1828, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of quarrying was circa 1828

Rhymes for quarrying

See All Rhymes for quarrying

Browse Nearby Words

quarry-hawk
quarrying
quarry light
See all Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Quarrying.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/quarrying. Accessed 7 Jul. 2026.

Copy Citation
Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!

Popular in Grammar & Usage

See More

Is that lie 'bald-faced' or 'bold-faced'?

'A' or 'an'? What about before 'h'? An Indefinite Article Guide

Why is '-ed' sometimes pronounced at the end of a word?

Commonly Misspelled Words

How to Use Em Dashes (—), En Dashes (–) , and Hyphens (-)
See More

Popular in Wordplay

See More

14 Phobias You Probably Haven't Heard Of

The Longest Long Words List

One-Word Oxymorons: Bittersweet, Spendthrift, and More

Ten Words Ending with a Silent ‘T’

12 Lovely and Unusual Words for the Natural World
See More

Popular

See More

Is that lie 'bald-faced' or 'bold-faced'?

14 Phobias You Probably Haven't Heard Of

The Longest Long Words List
See More

Games & Quizzes

See All
Play Quordle: Guess all four words in a limited number of tries. Each of your guesses must be a real 5-letter word.
Quordle Can you solve 4 words at once?
Play Blossom: Solve today's spelling word game by finding as many words as you can using just 7 letters. Longer words score more points.
Blossom Pick the best words!
Play Missing Letter: a crossword with a twist. Each of the 25 puzzle words start with a different letter of the alphabet. Which letter is missing?
The Missing Letter A daily crossword with a twist
hangman letters and game
Hangman Lightning Round Figure out which word fits in the blanks.
See All