tobe

or tob, thaub

[ tohb ]

See synonyms for: tobes on Thesaurus.com

noun

the principal outer garment in some parts of north and central Africa, consisting of a length of cloth that is sewn into a long loose skirt or is draped around the body and fastened over one shoulder.

Origin of tobe

1825–35; <dialectal Arabic tōb, variant of Arabic thawb garment

Other definitions for to-be (2 of 2)

to-be

[ tuh-bee ]

adjective

future; soon to be the thing specified (usually used in combination): bride-to-be.

Origin of to-be

First recorded in 1590–1600

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

How to use tobe in a sentence

What 15 months in a federal correction institution will be like, according to a man who counsels to-be inmates.
How a ‘Real Housewife’ Survives Prison: ‘I Don’t See [Teresa Giudice] Having a Cakewalk Here’ | Michael Howard | January 6, 2015 | THE DAILY BEAST
In the years to come, Wha became a legendary starting out spot for various soon-to-be rock stars.
The Bars That Made America Great | Nina Strochlic | December 28, 2014 | THE DAILY BEAST
Perhaps ascribing a distaste for the Oscar winner and soon-to-be Interstellar star is an overstatement.
Do We Still Hate Anne Hathaway? | Kevin Fallon | November 5, 2014 | THE DAILY BEAST
It was 2008 and Michael Keaton had just met soon-to-be-president Barack Obama.
Michael Keaton, Newly Relevant, Soars Into the Spotlight in ‘Birdman’ | Alex Suskind | October 12, 2014 | THE DAILY BEAST
Feel free to use this sort-of-sad break up as a practice run for the sure-to-be-devastating demise of Bey and Jay.
Nick Cannon’s Not a Gigolo, But He Had Sex with Kim Kardashian | Amy Zimmerman | August 22, 2014 | THE DAILY BEAST

"Buy something for your wife that-is-to-be," he said to his grand-nephew, as he handed him the folded paper.
The Pit Town Coronet, Volume I (of 3) | Charles James Wills
Next night at dinner I proposed Sir Alister's health, and we all drank to him and his "bride-to-be."
Uncanny Tales | Various
The fun, when the school broke up for the term, was of the never-to-be-forgotten variety.
The Mystery at Putnam Hall | Arthur M. Winfield
And if he ever saw one, his corpse-to-be was a methodical little piece of humanity.
Hooded Detective, Volume III No. 2, January, 1942 | Various
Flinging wide the glass door, we stepped out upon the terrace of the pergola-to-be, and looked toward the new bird bath.
The Idyl of Twin Fires | Walter Prichard Eaton

British Dictionary definitions for -to-be

-to-be

adjective

(in combination) about to be; future: a mother-to-be; the bride-to-be

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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