bob

[ bob ]

/ bɒb /

SEE MORE SYNONYMS FOR bob ON THESAURUS.COM

noun

a short, jerky motion: a bob of the head.

verb (used with object), bobbed, bob·bing.

to move quickly down and up: to bob the head.

to indicate with such a motion: to bob a greeting.

verb (used without object), bobbed, bob·bing.

to make a jerky motion with the head or body.

to move about with jerky, usually rising and falling motions: The ball bobbed upon the waves.

Verb Phrases

bob up, to emerge or appear, especially unexpectedly: A familiar face bobbed up in the crowd.

RELATED WORDS

cut, coiffed

Nearby words

Origin of bob

First recorded in 1400–50, bob is from the late Middle English word bobben. See bob²

Definition for bobbed (2 of 3)

bob

[ bob ]

/ bɒb /

noun

a style of short haircut for women and children.

a docked horse's tail.

a dangling or terminal object, as the weight on a pendulum or a plumb line.

a short, simple line in a verse or song, especially a short refrain or coda.

Angling.

a knot of worms, rags, etc., on a string.
a float for a fishing line.

a bobsled or bob skate.

Scot. a bunch, cluster, or wad, especially a small bouquet of flowers.

Obsolete. walking beam.

verb (used with object), bobbed, bob·bing.

to cut short; dock: They bobbed their hair to be in style.

verb (used without object), bobbed, bob·bing.

to try to snatch floating or dangling objects with the teeth: to bob for apples.

Angling. to fish with a bob.

Origin of bob

1300–50; Middle English bobbe (noun) spray, cluster, bunch (of leaves, flowers, fruit, etc.); of uncertain origin

Definition for bobbed (3 of 3)

bob

[ bob ]

/ bɒb /

noun

a tap; light blow.

a polishing wheel of leather, felt, or the like.

verb (used with object), bobbed, bob·bing.

to tap; strike lightly.

Origin of bob

1350–1400; Middle English bobben to strike, beat, perhaps imitative See bop²

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019

Examples from the Web for bobbed

And I had the blonde, bobbed hair with like really high bangs that went super high.
‘Surviving Jack’ Star Rachael Harris Is No Longer ‘The Bitch'|Kevin Fallon|March 27, 2014|DAILY BEAST
Behind them bobbed the smaller ships; in the third line were merchant boats and the royal galleys.
The Day the Sea Ran Red: The Battle of Sluys|Dan Jones|May 6, 2013|DAILY BEAST
At the defense table, Jerry Sandusky smiled broadly and bobbed his head up and down at the memory.
Jerry Sandusky Trial, Day Three: The Defense Gets Steamrolled|Diane Dimond|June 14, 2012|DAILY BEAST
Pretty much all the research I did for playing an Anna Wintour type was, I went shopping for a bobbed wig.
Miss Piggy Dishes on Muppets Movie, Kermit, Ernie and Bert Rumors|Ramin Setoodeh|November 22, 2011|DAILY BEAST

Her hair is relaxed and bobbed; she has short bangs, which make her round face appear even rounder.
The Oprah School on Trial|Gretchen L. Wilson|October 27, 2008|DAILY BEAST
The lanterns stood quite still for a minute more, and then they bobbed away.
Us and the Bottleman|Edith Ballinger Price
He sank upon his knees and bobbed his head to the floor in obeisance.
The Ghost Breaker|Charles Goddard
Each time the whole battalion, as if by word of command, bobbed their heads, and the men pressed closer together.
Blackwood's Edinburgh Magazine, Vol. 60, No. 373, November 1846|Various
He bobbed his head with a cursory jerk and went back to staring across the table.
Cue for Quiet|Thomas L. Sherred
At the word "sick," Joel stopped screaming, and bobbed up his head to take a good look at Mrs. Pepper.
The Adventures of Joel Pepper|Margaret Sidney

British Dictionary definitions for bobbed (1 of 5)

Bob

/ (bɒb) /

noun

Bob's your uncle slang everything is or will turn out all right

Word Origin for Bob

C19: perhaps from pet form of Robert

British Dictionary definitions for bobbed (2 of 5)

bob

/ (bɒb) /

verb bobs, bobbing or bobbed

to move or cause to move up and down repeatedly, as while floating in water

to move or cause to move with a short abrupt movement, as of the head

to make (a bow or curtsy)the little girl bobbed before the visitor

(intr usually foll by up) to appear or emerge suddenly

(intr; foll by under, below, etc) to disappear suddenly, as beneath a surface

(intr usually foll by for) to attempt to get hold (of a floating or hanging object, esp an apple) in the teeth as a game

noun

a short abrupt movement, as of the head

a quick curtsy or bow

bell-ringing a particular set of changes

angling

short for bobfloat
the topmost fly on a cast of three, often fished bobbing at the surface
this position on a wet-fly cast

Word Origin for bob

C14: of uncertain origin

British Dictionary definitions for bobbed (3 of 5)

bob

/ (bɒb) /

noun

a hairstyle for women and children in which the hair is cut short evenly all round the head

a dangling or hanging object, such as the weight on a pendulum or on a plumb line

a polishing disc on a rotating spindle. It is usually made of felt, leather, etc, impregnated with an abrasive material

short for bob skate, bobsleigh

a runner or pair of runners on a bobsled

angling a small knot of worms, maggots, etc, used as bait

a very short line of verse at the end of a stanza or preceding a rhyming quatrain (the wheel) at the end of a stanza

a refrain or burden with such a short line or lines

a docked tail, esp of a horse

British dialect a hanging cluster, as of flowers or ribbons

verb bobs, bobbing or bobbed

(tr) to cut (the hair) in a bob

(tr) to cut short (something, esp the tail of an animal); dock or crop

(intr) to ride on a bobsled

Word Origin for bob

C14 bobbe bunch of flowers, perhaps of Celtic origin

British Dictionary definitions for bobbed (4 of 5)

bob

/ (bɒb) /

verb bobs, bobbing or bobbed

to tap or cause to tap or knock lightly (against)

noun

a light knock; tap

Word Origin for bob

C13 bobben to rap, beat; see bop ²

British Dictionary definitions for bobbed (5 of 5)

bob

⁴

/ (bɒb) /

noun plural bob

British (formerly) an informal word for a shilling (def. 1)

Word Origin for bob

C19: of unknown origin

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

Word Origin and History for bobbed (1 of 3)

bob

v.1

"move with a short, jerking motion," late 14c., probably connected to Middle English bobben "to strike, beat" (late 13c.), perhaps of echoic origin. Another early sense was "to make a fool of, cheat" (early 14c.). Related: Bobbed; bobbing. The sense in bobbing for apples (or cherries) recorded by 1799.

Word Origin and History for bobbed (1 of 3)

bob

n.2

"short hair," 1680s, attested 1570s in sense of "a horse's tail cut short," from earlier bobbe "cluster" (as of leaves), mid-14c., a northern word, perhaps of Celtic origin (cf. Irish baban "tassel, cluster," Gaelic babag). Used over the years in various senses connected by the notion of "round, hanging mass," e.g. "weight at the end of a line" (1650s). The hair sense was revived with a shift in women's styles early 20c. (verb 1918, noun 1920). Related words include bobby pin, bobby sox, bobsled, bobcat.

Word Origin and History for bobbed (2 of 3)

bob

n.1

"act of bobbing," 1540s, from bob (v.1). As a slang word for "shilling" it is attested from 1789, but the signification is unknown.

bob

noun

verb (used with object), bobbed, bob·bing.

verb (used without object), bobbed, bob·bing.

Verb Phrases

RELATED CONTENT

RELATED WORDS

Nearby words

Origin of bob

Definition for bobbed (2 of 3)

bob

noun

verb (used with object), bobbed, bob·bing.

verb (used without object), bobbed, bob·bing.

Origin of bob

Definition for bobbed (3 of 3)

bob

noun

verb (used with object), bobbed, bob·bing.

Origin of bob

Examples from the Web for bobbed

British Dictionary definitions for bobbed (1 of 5)

Bob

noun

Word Origin for Bob

British Dictionary definitions for bobbed (2 of 5)

bob

verb bobs, bobbing or bobbed

noun

Word Origin for bob

British Dictionary definitions for bobbed (3 of 5)

bob

noun

verb bobs, bobbing or bobbed

Word Origin for bob

British Dictionary definitions for bobbed (4 of 5)

bob

verb bobs, bobbing or bobbed

noun

Word Origin for bob

British Dictionary definitions for bobbed (5 of 5)

bob

noun plural bob

Word Origin for bob

Word Origin and History for bobbed (1 of 3)

bob

Word Origin and History for bobbed (1 of 3)

bob

Word Origin and History for bobbed (2 of 3)

bob