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Synonyms

bob up

Idioms  

  1. Appear suddenly or unexpectedly. For example, I didn't know anyone in the group until Harry bobbed up. This term uses the verb bob in the sense of “to bounce,” a usage dating from Chaucer's day. [Late 1800s]

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.

My head bobs up and down, and I watch him walk away wondering what a hot guy like him wants with a regular girl like me.

From Literature

His Adam’s apple bobbed up and down as he swallowed.

From Literature

He thrashed about for a few seconds and shortly after, the ice saw and spear bobbed up to the surface.

From Literature

This dumb old Charlotte boat wasn’t sailing forward any longer; it was only bobbing up and down.

From Literature

The stubby little hairs above his lip bobbed up and down.

From Literature

Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.