lobe
Americannoun
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any rounded projection forming part of a larger structure
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any of the subdivisions of a bodily organ or part, delineated by shape or connective tissue
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short for ear lobe
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any of the loops that form part of the graphic representation in cylindrical coordinates of the radiation pattern of a transmitting aerial Compare radiation pattern
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any of the parts, not entirely separate from each other, into which a flattened plant part, such as a leaf, is divided
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A rounded projection, as on a leaf or petal. The leaves of many oak species have prominent lobes.
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An anatomical division of an organ of the body. The liver, lungs, and brain are all characterized by lobes that are held in place by connective tissue.
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Etymology
Origin of lobe
1515–25; < Medieval Latin lobus ( Late Latin: hull, husk, pod) < Greek lobós, akin to Latin legula lobe of the ear
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
Al-Hashimi became a polyglot — speaking English, Farsi and Armenian — in part to curb the effects of a seizure disorder on her temporal lobe, which is crucial for language comprehension.
From Los Angeles Times • Jun. 3, 2026
Barbara Sahakian, a neuropsychologist at the University of Cambridge who specialises in ADHD, said the condition affects the brain's frontal lobe, which play a key role in organisation and focus.
From BBC • Mar. 25, 2026
Dr. Flaherty provocatively suggests that Van Gogh suffered from temporal lobe epilepsy and that his condition may have played an important role in his achievements.
From The Wall Street Journal • Feb. 3, 2026
I feel like—and I think it comes with turning 25—but my frontal lobe has developed and it’s like, “All right, time to be an adult now.”
From Slate • Dec. 11, 2025
He came back to the desk, knelt down beside it, real close, and flapped his lobe out so it sat like a tiny pancake on the top edge of the desk.
From "Fourth Grade Rats" by Jerry Spinelli
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
