Dictionary.com
Thesaurus.com
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.

Keep Reading on Vocabulary.com

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:

Within minutes, sunlight transforms this material into an ionized gas shield that slows the oncoming massive blob of plasma.

From The Wall Street Journal Jul. 10, 2026

While worldwide sea surface temperatures have increased by 1C on average since 1900, the cold blob region has cooled by up to 0.9C, according to a 2019 study.

From Barron's Jun. 26, 2026

That had to be a whiff of flop-sweat from the Atlanta 1996 games’ blue blob mascot, something like an anthropomorphized teardrop, originally named Whatizit for the obvious reaction it generated, and later just Izzy.

From Los Angeles Times Jun. 6, 2026

The company says the avatar, called Mico and resembling a blob with a smiley face, is "not a mascot, but an optional visual identity for Copilot".

From BBC May 13, 2026

The tree on our lawn was a dark, fuzzy blob.

From "Anthem of a Reluctant Prophet" by Joanne Proulx

Seen with the naked eye from the stern of our 40-foot tour boat, the dark blobs bobbing in the restless sea didn’t look like much.

From The Wall Street Journal Aug. 26, 2026

But our cameraman Gwyndaf Hughes has brought a macro lens, and when I peer through, I see white blobs suspended on the moss tips.

From BBC May 30, 2026

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

From Salon Mar. 17, 2026

The blobs varied in how clear the differences were.

From Science Daily Nov. 28, 2025

“Cleaning up the squash,” I say, pushing some blobs of butternut around on the floor.

From "Invisible Inkling" by Emily Jenkins

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

Speaking of Wharton, I see even she has been blobbed!

From New York Times Dec. 15, 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

He blobbed on the paint, working spasmodically, and occasionally he refreshed himself at the piano with a verse of the latest popular song.

From In Friendship's Guise by William Murray Graydon

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

Vocabulary.com logo
by dictionary.com

Dictionary.com's Learning Companion

Go beyond just looking up words.
Remember them forever with VocabTrainer.

Start training