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Synonyms

blob

American  
[blob] / blɒb /

noun

blobs plural
  1. a globule of liquid; bubble.

  2. a small lump, drop, splotch, or daub.

    A blob of paint marred the surface.

  3. an object, especially a large one, having no distinct shape or definition.

    a blob on the horizon.

  4. a dull, slow-witted, and uninteresting person.


verb (used with object)

blobbed, blobbing
  1. to mark or splotch with blobs.

blob British  
/ blɒb /

noun

  1. a soft mass or drop, as of some viscous liquid

  2. a spot, dab, or blotch of colour, ink, etc

  3. a indistinct or shapeless form or object

  4. a slang word for condom

"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

verb

  1. (tr) to put blobs, as of ink or paint, on

"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

Other Word Forms

Derived Forms

Inflected Forms

Nouns

Etymology

Origin of blob

1400–50; late Middle English; apparently expressive formation

Explanation

A blob is a spot, drop, or a shapeless mass of something, You can't just put blobs of paint on your canvas and call it art! Blob is often used interchangeably with glob or drop. You might top your apple pie with blobs of whipped cream, or put a blob of toothpaste on your toothbrush. And if your map appears to be just blobs of color, you might want to put your glasses on and look again. Blob first appeared as a verb in the 15th century, meaning "to mark with drops or granules," a close relation of bubble.

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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.

See Examples For:

"That cold isn't a kind of a get-out-of-jail-free card in terms of global warming. Some of the hot extremes can actually be exacerbated by this cold blob in the Atlantic," McCarthy said.

From Barron's Jun. 26, 2026

The blob was earth-toned and splashed bestselling covers for years.

From Los Angeles Times Mar. 16, 2026

We are no longer talking about individual law enforcement agencies, but rather a giant, singular blob.

From Slate Feb. 9, 2026

You can pick a green blob, a buff, tattooed Zane, gamer girl Kira or even virtual versions of real people such as the esports star Faker.

From The Wall Street Journal Jan. 11, 2026

She holds her hand out to my blob.

From "I'll Give You the Sun" by Jandy Nelson

My friends were skeptical as I placed the uneven, cinnamon-covered blobs in their palms.

From Salon Mar. 17, 2026

On a screen, they saw a series of colorful, balloon-like blobs.

From Science Daily Nov. 28, 2025

The next day, he texted me a time and date with a drawing of what looked like giant floating lava-lamp blobs with two pairs of little feet sticking out from underneath.

From Los Angeles Times Aug. 15, 2025

It came months after thousands of black blobs started appearing on the city's coasts in October, prompting authorities to close some of its most famous beaches for several days and order a massive clean-up.

From BBC Jan. 21, 2025

The vendor spooned blobs of batter into the pot of oil, where they hissed and bubbled with a satisfying roar.

From "The Ear, the Eye, and the Arm" by Nancy Farmer

Over the previous 10 years of Test cricket, England's openers blobbed out 27 times in 121 matches, an average of one opener-duck per 4.5 Tests.

From BBC Dec. 31, 2021

Dr. Nguyen designed a simulated model of both individual and blobbed blackworms, involving small blobs of 20 identical worms.

From New York Times Oct. 25, 2021

Admittedly, as that student blobbed into the man I am today, I do wonder if the sedentary Lister was the wisest role model to choose.

From The Guardian Sep. 21, 2017

Revelers blobbed together, migrating as Rio’s winter twilight slipped in.

From The Wall Street Journal Aug. 19, 2016

Here the fresh westerlies forsook us and we bobbed and blobbed about in doldrummy weather for many days. 

From The Jacket (Star-Rover) by London, Jack

Dr. Ding, who studies blobbing in the much-studied nematode Caenorhabditis elegans, described her C. elegans blobs as “strongly overlapping, like a bowl of spaghetti noodles.”

From New York Times Oct. 25, 2021

Maisie suggested painting and I started blobbing out pretty colours.

From The Guardian Mar. 31, 2017

Beside her on each side, both Ess and Loo were already scribbling and blobbing ink all over their stones.

From "Orphan Island" by Laurel Snyder

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