glob

American  

[glob] / glɒb /

noun

1. a drop or globule of a liquid.

2. a usually rounded quantity or lump of some plastic or moldable substance.

   a little glob of clay; a huge glob of whipped cream.

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glob British  

/ ɡlɒb /

noun

1. informal a rounded mass of some thick fluid or pliable substance

   a glob of cream

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Etymology

Origin of glob

1895–1900; perhaps blend of globe and blob

Explanation

A glob is a shapeless clump or hunk of something. Even the most skilled potter starts out with nothing but a glob of damp clay on her pottery wheel. Globs are soft, squishy, or partly liquid substances — you can't really have a glob of pizza, but you can add a glob of melty mozzarella to the top of a pizza. An artist drops globs of oil paint on her palette, and a chocolate maker fills molds with globs of warm melted chocolate. While we know glob first appeared in print around 1900, its origin isn't clear. It may have imitated words like blob and gob.

Example Sentences

That world grabbed Glob and wouldn’t let go.

From New York Times • Jan. 11, 2024

Each time, Glob went back to film some more.

From New York Times • Jan. 11, 2024

The face belongs to Apolonia Sokol, but the voice belongs to Lea Glob, the filmmaker who followed Sokol off and on for 13 years.

From New York Times • Jan. 11, 2024

At first, Ms. Glob edited footage along the way, but when that proved counterproductive, she waited till later to undertake an edit.

From New York Times • Jun. 3, 2023

Glob after sticky glob of sap landed right in the center of the blinking gems, dousing the beams of light, and Gum Baby waved her hands urgently.

From "Tristan Strong Punches a Hole in the Sky" by Kwame Mbalia

Related Words

• blob
• clump
• gob