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View synonyms for

bob

1

[bob]

noun

  1. a short, jerky motion.

    a bob of the head.



verb (used with object)

bobbed, bobbing 
  1. to move quickly down and up.

    to bob the head.

  2. to indicate with such a motion.

    to bob a greeting.

verb (used without object)

bobbed, bobbing 
  1. to make a jerky motion with the head or body.

  2. to move about with jerky, usually rising and falling motions.

    The ball bobbed upon the waves.

verb phrase

  1. to emerge or appear, especially unexpectedly.

    A familiar face bobbed up in the crowd.

bob

2

[bob]

noun

  1. a style of short haircut for women and children.

  2. a docked horse's tail.

  3. a dangling or terminal object, as the weight on a pendulum or a plumb line.

  4. a short, simple line in a verse or song, especially a short refrain or coda.

  5. Angling.

    1. a knot of worms, rags, etc., on a string.

    2. a float for a fishing line.

  6. a bobsled or bob skate.

  7. Scot.a bunch, cluster, or wad, especially a small bouquet of flowers.

  8. Obsolete.walking beam.

verb (used with object)

bobbed, bobbing 
  1. to cut short; dock.

    They bobbed their hair to be in style.

verb (used without object)

bobbed, bobbing 
  1. to try to snatch floating or dangling objects with the teeth.

    to bob for apples.

  2. Angling.to fish with a bob.

bob

3

[bob]

noun

  1. a tap; light blow.

  2. a polishing wheel of leather, felt, or the like.

verb (used with object)

bobbed, bobbing 
  1. to tap; strike lightly.

bob

4

[bob]

noun

British Informal.

plural

bob 
  1. a shilling.

Bob

5

[bob]

noun

  1. a first name, form of Robert.

bob

1

/ ɒ /

verb

  1. to move or cause to move up and down repeatedly, as while floating in water

  2. to move or cause to move with a short abrupt movement, as of the head

  3. to make (a bow or curtsy)

    the little girl bobbed before the visitor

  4. to appear or emerge suddenly

  5. (intr; foll by under, below, etc) to disappear suddenly, as beneath a surface

  6. to attempt to get hold (of a floating or hanging object, esp an apple) in the teeth as a game

“Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged” 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

noun

  1. a short abrupt movement, as of the head

  2. a quick curtsy or bow

  3. Leisure:Bell-ringing a particular set of changes

  4. angling

    1. short for bobfloat

    2. the topmost fly on a cast of three, often fished bobbing at the surface

    3. this position on a wet-fly cast

“Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged” 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

bob

2

/ ɒ /

noun

  1. a hairstyle for women and children in which the hair is cut short evenly all round the head

  2. a dangling or hanging object, such as the weight on a pendulum or on a plumb line

  3. a polishing disc on a rotating spindle. It is usually made of felt, leather, etc, impregnated with an abrasive material

  4. short for bob skate bobsleigh

  5. a runner or pair of runners on a bobsled

  6. angling a small knot of worms, maggots, etc, used as bait

  7. a very short line of verse at the end of a stanza or preceding a rhyming quatrain (the wheel) at the end of a stanza

  8. a refrain or burden with such a short line or lines

  9. a docked tail, esp of a horse

  10. dialecta hanging cluster, as of flowers or ribbons

“Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged” 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

verb

  1. (tr) to cut (the hair) in a bob

  2. (tr) to cut short (something, esp the tail of an animal); dock or crop

  3. (intr) to ride on a bobsled

“Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged” 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

bob

3

/ ɒ /

verb

  1. to tap or cause to tap or knock lightly (against)

“Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged” 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

noun

  1. a light knock; tap

“Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged” 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Bob

4

/ ɒ /

noun

  1. slangeverything is or will turn out all right

“Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged” 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

bob

5

/ ɒ /

noun

  1. (formerly) an informal word for a shilling

“Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged” 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012
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Word History and Origins

Origin of bob1

First recorded in 1400–50, bob is from the late Middle English word bobben. See bob 2

Origin of bob2

First recorded in 1300–50; Middle English bobbe (noun) “spray, cluster, bunch (of leaves, flowers, fruit, etc.)”; of uncertain origin

Origin of bob3

First recorded in 1350–1400; Middle English bobben “to strike, beat,” perhaps imitative; bop 2

Origin of bob4

First recorded in 1780–90; origin unknown; perhaps from Bob
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Word History and Origins

Origin of bob1

C14: of uncertain origin

Origin of bob2

C14 bobbe bunch of flowers, perhaps of Celtic origin

Origin of bob3

C13 bobben to rap, beat; see bop ²

Origin of bob4

C19: perhaps from pet form of Robert

Origin of bob5

C19: of unknown origin
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Example Sentences

Examples have not been reviewed.

Blue and white ribbons and streamers have been stretched high across the streets of the shopping district and, in the old port, bunting flutters from the boats bobbing in the Mediterranean.

From

My bobbed hair was tucked under a baseball cap I had started wearing to emulate Hailey.

From

In the 30 years before the mid 1990s, net migration, the number arriving minus the number leaving, bobbed up and down but was broadly balanced.

From

Club members and fellow villagers chipped in to send them on their way with a few bob in their pocket because they did not get paid.

From

Billy is often seen bobbing, pacing and swaying — all signs of brain damage caused by years of captivity, the organization said.

From

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