1. a small marine crustacean that burrows into and damages wooden structures, especially ship hulls and pilings
Usage: nautical; technical

1. to complain or grumble in a petty or persistent manner
Usage: informal; chiefly British

Examples

• The wooden dock was damaged by gribbles that had tunneled through the support beams.
• Gribbles are a serious problem for maritime industries that rely on wooden vessels.
• He spent the entire meeting gribbling about minor issues instead of focusing on solutions.
• She tends to gribble whenever things don't go exactly as planned.
• The ship's hull was infested with gribbles after months at sea.
• Don't gribble to me about the weather—there's nothing we can do about it.