lob

¹

[lob]

verb (used with object)

lobbed, lobbing 

1. Tennis.,  to hit (a ball) in a high arc to the back of the opponent's court.

2. to fire (a missile, as a shell) in a high trajectory so that it drops onto a target.

3. Cricket.,  to bowl (the ball) with a slow underhand motion.

4. to throw (something) slowly in an arc.

verb (used without object)

lobbed, lobbing 

1. Tennis.,  to lob a ball.

noun

1. Tennis.,  a ball hit in a high arc to the back of the opponent's court.

2. Cricket.,  a ball bowled with a slow underhand motion.

3. British Dialect.,  a slow, heavy, dull-witted person.

lob

²

[lob]

noun

1. lobworm.

lob

¹

/ lɒb /

noun

1. a ball struck in a high arc

2. cricket a ball bowled in a slow high arc

verb

1. to hit or kick (a ball) in a high arc

2. informal,  to throw, esp in a high arc

lob

²

/ lɒb /

noun

1. short for lobworm

Other Word Forms

• lobber noun

Word History and Origins

Origin of lob¹

1325–75; in earlier sense, to behave like a lob ( Middle English lobbe, lob bumpkin, clumsy person, originally pollack; Old English: spider; basic sense, something pendulous); cognate with Middle Low German, Middle Dutch lobbe dangling part, stockfish, etc.

Word History and Origins

Origin of lob¹

C14: probably of Low German origin, originally in the sense: something dangling; compare Middle Low German lobbe hanging lower lip, Old English loppe spider

Origin of lob²

C17 (in the sense: pendulous object): related to _lob ¹

Example Sentences

Hall then lobbed the game-winning touchdown pass to Mason Taylor at the back of the end zone in the final minutes to set up victory.

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He has served since 2022 as ambassador to Yemen, managing relations at a turbulent time as the United States bombed Huthi rebels that have lobbed missiles at Israel in professed solidarity with Palestinians in Gaza.

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He has been lobbing cruise and ballistic missiles at Ukraine for years.

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But Mr. Putin has been lobbing cruise and ballistic missiles at Ukraine for years, and there’s nothing escalatory about return fire.

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He says “Oklahoma!” is “nostalgic for a world that never existed,” but such a charge could be lobbed at many other wonderful period pieces.

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Related Words

• flip 
• hurl 
• loft