gob

¹

[ gob ]

noun

1. a mass or lump.
2. gobs, Informal. a large quantity:

   gobs of money.

3. Also called goaf. Mining. waste or barren material.

gob

²

[ gob ]

noun

, Slang.

1. a sailor, especially a seaman in the U.S. Navy.

gob

³

[ gob ]

noun

, Chiefly British Slang.

1. the mouth.

gob

⁴

[ gob ]

verb (used without object)

, gobbed, gob·bing,

1. gab ¹.

gob

¹

/ ɡɒb /

noun

1. a lump or chunk, esp of a soft substance
2. informal.
   often plural a great quantity or amount
3. mining
   1. waste material such as clay, shale, etc
   2. a worked-out area in a mine often packed with this
4. a lump of molten glass used to make a piece of glassware
5. informal.
   a globule of spittle or saliva

verb

1. informal.
   intr to spit

gob

²

/ ɡɒb /

noun

1. slang.
   an enlisted ordinary seaman in the US Navy

gob

³

/ ɡɒb /

noun

1. See mouth
   a slang word (esp Brit) for the mouth

Word History and Origins

Origin of gob¹

First recorded in 1350–1400; Middle English gobbe, variant of gobet “a mouthful, lump”; gobbet

Origin of gob²

An Americanism dating back to 1910–15; origin uncertain

Origin of gob³

First recorded in 1540–50; perhaps from Gaelic gob “mouth, beak”

Origin of gob⁴

First recorded in 1680–85; gabble ( def )

Word History and Origins

Origin of gob¹

C14: from Old French gobe lump, from gober to gulp down; see gobbet

Origin of gob²

C20: of unknown origin

Origin of gob³

C16: perhaps from Gaelic gob

Example Sentences

As a sign that this might be true outside the lab also, researchers typically found more of the jelly-gob egg masses, signs of mating success, floating in pools where choruses kept more consistent pitches.

From Science News

Each project begins with the artist inserting the far end of a blowpipe into the furnace and rolling it back and forth until a gob—it’s actually called that—of glass forms.

From Popular-Science

Glass comes out of the furnace with no color, so artists add hues to the clear gob they draw from the forge.

From Popular-Science

A millimeter-sized gob of mucus beads up on a larvacean’s head.

From Science News

“After Gob, I felt like there were a lot of jobs that I took where people wanted me to emulate or copy that performance,” he says.

From The Daily Beast

For the record, the best three episodes deal with Gob, Tobias, and Buster, and it's not even close.

From The Daily Beast

The experience left the septuagenarian designer sounding positively gob-smacked.

From The Daily Beast

"John Greg—" Before I could articulate fully the blacksmith thrust a gob of the vile lather into my mouth.

From Project Gutenberg

Gazing anxiously over the fence, we heard a feeble chirp from a large gob of mud in the alley.

From Project Gutenberg

As might give me the chanst as I wants, but, by gob, it's a regular chouse.

From Project Gutenberg

You jest think of a lovin', trustin', and confidin' woman gettin' holt of a gob of p'isen like that!

From Project Gutenberg

The second wall lies across the valley at Gob-sorg, four miles beyond our camp at Chumbi.

From Project Gutenberg

Related Words

• hunk
• morsel