mob

¹

[ mob ]

noun

1. a disorderly or riotous crowd of people.
2. a crowd bent on or engaged in lawless violence.
3. any group or collection of persons or things.
4. the common people; the masses; populace or multitude.
5. a criminal gang, especially one involved in drug trafficking, extortion, etc.
6. the Mob, Mafia ( def 1 ).
7. Sociology. a group of persons stimulating one another to excitement and losing ordinary rational control over their activity.
8. a flock, herd, or drove of animals:

   a mob of sheep.

adjective

1. of, relating to, or characteristic of a lawless, irrational, disorderly, or riotous crowd: mob instincts.

   mob rule;

   mob instincts.

2. directed at or reflecting the lowest intellectual level of the common people: the mob mentality.

   mob appeal;

   the mob mentality.

verb (used with object)

, mobbed, mob·bing.

1. to crowd around noisily, as from curiosity or hostility:

   Spectators mobbed the courtroom.

2. to attack in a riotous mob:

   The crowd mobbed the consulate.

3. Fox Hunting. to chop (a fox).

mob

²

[ mobmohb ]

noun

, Digital Technology.

1. (in a video game) a hostile nonplayer character that the player may target and fight.

MOB

³

1. mother of the bride.

mob

¹

/ mɒb /

noun

1. 1. a riotous or disorderly crowd of people; rabble
   2. ( as modifier )

      mob law

      mob violence

2. derogatory.
   a group or class of people, animals, or things
3. a flock (of sheep) or a herd (of cattle, esp when droving)
4. derogatory.
   the masses
5. slang.
   a gang of criminals

verb

1. to attack in a group resembling a mob
2. to surround, esp in order to acclaim

   they mobbed the film star

3. to crowd into (a building, plaza, etc)
4. (of a group of animals of a prey species) to harass (a predator)

MOB

²

abbreviation for

1. mobile phone

Derived Forms

• ˈmobber, noun
• ˈmobbish, adjective

Other Words From

• mobber mobbist noun
• mobbish adjective
• mobbish·ly adverb
• mobbish·ness noun
• mobbism noun
• un·mobbed adjective

Word History and Origins

Origin of mob¹

First recorded in 1680–90; short for Latin mōbile vulgus “the movable (i.e., changeable, inconstant) common people”

Origin of mob²

First recorded in 1980–85; coined by British video game developer Richard Bartle; shortening of mobile (in the sense “a moving sculpture hung from the ceiling”)

Word History and Origins

Origin of mob¹

C17: shortened from Latin mōbile vulgus the fickle populace; see mobile

Example Sentences

Fort Lauderdale resident Chris Nelson told the newspaper that his group, ReOpen South Florida, organized the “flash mob.”

From Fortune

As word got out about the shortages, mobs began breaking into pharmacies to secure medicine.

From ProPublica

Attorney General Bill Barr similarly denounced “mob violence.”

From Vox

For his part, Sethi has tried to target conservatives who might be upset with the anti-police brutality protests following George Floyd’s death, asking if they’re “sick of the mobs yet.”

From FiveThirtyEight

The highest form of political courage is doing the right thing when the mob is against it.

From The Daily Beast

General Brent Scowcroft, national security adviser to the first President Bush, shuffled head-down through the mob.

From The Daily Beast

She apparently could even pick out her man of choice in a post-concert mob.

From The Daily Beast

Moments later, a mob of about 25 young men burst through the door and unleashed a brutal attack on Singh.

From The Daily Beast

Rather than helping though, policemen were actually complicit in the mob violence.

From The Daily Beast

The parliament house and library of the British provinces, at Montreal, burned by a mob.

From Project Gutenberg

The moon rose on a terrified mob trudging or riding the forty miles of road between Meerut and the Mogul capital.

From Project Gutenberg

Two artillery subalterns who had fought their way through a mob stricken with panic for the moment, soon arrived.

From Project Gutenberg

The mob of relatives and friends wrecked and burned the castle, massacring the retainers to a man.

From Project Gutenberg

They are quite sure "the mob" will do no harm if it is vigilantly watched and thoroughly overawed.

From Project Gutenberg

Related Words

• jostle
• swarm

About This Word

What does mob mean?

A mob is an unruly and often violent group of people, especially one engaged in a riot or other lawless violence.

Some mobs organize intentionally to engage in violence and destruction, but sometimes people assemble spontaneously and turn into a mob, such as in reaction to some event. Because people who have massed together in such a way typically don’t follow any formal leadership or string of command, mobs are known for getting out of control and engaging in chaotic, unpredictable, and often violent behavior.

Sometimes, the word refers to a large group of people acting in an aggressive or hostile way in a virtual space, as in Don’t post that unless you want to feel the wrath of the social media mob. 

This sense of mob is often used as a modifier (adjective) to describe things carried out by mobs or involving mobs, as in mob violence and mob rule.

Like the word riot, the word mob is sometimes intentionally used inaccurately to portray groups in a negative way when this characterization is not warranted. For example, an opponent of a protest might call a group of peaceful protesters a mob as an attempt to discredit the protesters and their message.

The word mob can also be used as a verb meaning to assemble in large numbers or crowd around someone or something, especially in an unruly way, as in Holiday shoppers mobbed the store as soon as it opened or The star is mobbed by photographers every time she leaves her house. A place or person who has been crowded in this way can be described with the adjective mobbed.

As a verb, mob can also mean to attack as a mob, as in Wave after wave of rebels mobbed the embassy. 

Mob is sometimes used as a noun in a more figurative way to collectively refer to common people or the masses, in which case it is typically preceded by the, as in His campaign platform is too subtle to win over the mob. This sense of the word often implies that the common people lack sophistication, intelligence, or are otherwise base and crude. This is what’s implied in the phrase mob mentality, which refers to a mindset motivated by the basest human instincts.

Much more specifically, organized crime groups known as the Mafia are sometimes also referred to as the Mob. A member of the Mob can be called a mobster.

Example: Perhaps the most distinguishing feature of a mob is that the group and the people in it have passed the point of being able to be reasoned with.

Where does mob come from?

The first records of the word mob come from the 1680s. It comes from a shortening of the Latin phrase mōbile vulgus, meaning “the movable common people,” in which moveable means something like “changeable” or “fickle.” The phrase implies that the common people can be easily swayed, as opposed to having firm and unchanging beliefs.

Most senses of the word mob still imply this sense of unpredictability. Groups considered mobs are often associated with hostility and a tendency for violence and destruction that gets more out of control as more people become part of the mob. Psychologists study mobs to better understand how and at what point a group of people turn into a mob. The goal of such study is to understand the reason why people begin to take part in the kind of violent and destructive behavior that they might not otherwise engage in if they were simply by themselves.

Did you know ... ?

What are some other forms related to mob?

• mobbed (past tense verb, adjective)

What are some synonyms for mob?

• horde
• rabble
• gang
• mass
• swarm
• the masses
• Mafia

What are some words that share a root or word element with mob? 

• flash mob
• mobster
• mobocracy

What are some words that often get used in discussing mob?

• angry
• violent
• violence
• rule
• destruction
• mentality
• dangerous
• riot
• psychology

How is mob used in real life?

Mob has several different meanings, but it is most often used in a negative way.

I can imagine no better illustration of the actual meaning of "mob rule." A literal mob incited by a lawless, outgoing president and his partisan toadies has successfully delayed the congressional certification of the election he lost. This is a truly dark day in our history.

— Will Wilkinson 🌐 (@willwilkinson) January 6, 2021

The FIR report of the killings states that the couple was attacked by a mob of 600 ppl.Thy were dragged to the brick kiln by ten people.

— Javeria Siddique (@javerias) November 6, 2014

History is written by the victors, the present is written by an angry mob on Twitter.

— Brydon Coverdale (@brydoncoverdale) December 12, 2019

A little game of spot-the-candidate in this great photo by @AFP's @Kilicbil of @ekrem_imamoglu mobbed by reporters and supporters on election day (redux) in #Istanbul. pic.twitter.com/p6IagD5z9C

— Jennifer Hattam (@TheTurkishLife) June 23, 2019

In 1996, a 5-year undercover investigation called GAMTAX culminated in the indictment of 17 members of the #Detroit mob—nearly its entire hierarchy—on charges of illegal gambling, loan-sharking, extortion, and acts of violence in support of those crimes. #FBIDetroit #History

— FBI Detroit (@FBIDetroit) July 20, 2019

 

Try using mob!

Is mob used correctly in the following sentence?

The senator was mobbed by reporters asking him to comment on his vote.