bobble
Americannoun
-
a repeated, jerky movement; bob.
-
a momentary fumbling or juggling of a batted or thrown baseball.
-
an error; mistake.
-
a small ball of fabric usually used decoratively, as in a fringe or other trimming.
a sweater with a line of bobbles up the sleeves.
verb (used with object)
-
bobbles,
present (3rd person singular)
-
bobbled,
past participle, past
-
bobbling
present participle
noun
-
a short jerky motion, as of a cork floating on disturbed water; bobbing movement
-
a tufted ball, usually for ornament, as on a knitted hat
-
any small dangling ball or bundle
verb
-
(intr) sport (of a ball) to bounce with a rapid erratic motion due to an uneven playing surface
-
informal to handle (something) ineptly; muff; bungle
he bobbled the ball and lost the game
Other Word Forms
Inflected Forms
Participles
Conjugated Forms
Present
-
bobblesimple
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bobblessimple
-
have bobbledperfect
-
has bobbledperfect
-
am bobblingprogressive
-
are bobblingprogressive
-
is bobblingprogressive
-
have been bobblingperfect progressive
-
has been bobblingperfect progressive
Past
-
bobbledsimple
-
had bobbledperfect
-
was bobblingprogressive
-
were bobblingprogressive
-
had been bobblingperfect progressive
Future
Etymology
Origin of bobble
1805–15; bob 1 + -le; bobble ( def. 4 ) perhaps new formation with bob 2
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:
In Wednesday’s slalom, Shiffrin laid down a vintage first run in 47.13 seconds that gave her a lead of 0.82 seconds, despite a bobble halfway down the course.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Feb. 18, 2026
"But I always came back to sleep here even in the cold weather with a bobble hat on and sweater and a woollen blanket."
From BBC ● Jan. 7, 2026
At third base, Hernández tagged up once, then again after seeing Frelick’s bobble, before finally breaking for home plate as the Brewers relayed the ball in.
From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 13, 2025
That bobble, Clark said, might have made the difference.
From Seattle Times ● Jan. 2, 2024
Min rushed forward and unhooked the straw bobble.
From "A Single Shard" by Linda Sue Park
Meanwhile, the Dodgers added two more insurance runs in the fifth with a solo homer from Ohtani, a double from Pages and a couple of defensive bobbles by the Rockies.
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 18, 2026
But its popularity began to wane, as teenagers moved away from the colourful earrings, necklaces and hair bobbles the brand was known for, says fashion expert Priya Raj.
From BBC ● Apr. 28, 2026
Fujii decorated these with a basic white sugar glaze and silver bobbles.
From Salon ● Dec. 24, 2023
In less than five minutes, the Purple Team was up 4-0 through well-placed hits and bobbles by the Batters.
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 16, 2023
Trees tremble, the old vats are in bobbles, bobbles which shade and shove and render clean, render clean must.
From Geography and Plays by Gertrude Stein
Ward bobbled the ball as he picked it up for the relay home and a close play at the plate.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jun. 3, 2026
Rangers second baseman Justin Foscue bobbled the ball and first baseman Jake Burger couldn’t cleanly field his throw, allowing Walton to advance from second to score the game-winning run.
From Los Angeles Times ● May 25, 2026
We struggled so hard to handle Cuba, and bobbled it so often.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Mar. 26, 2026
There was still an opportunity for someone to keep it out, but the ball bobbled past a sea of black and white shirts and crept past Ramsdale, who was slow to react.
From BBC ● Dec. 2, 2025
As he grappled with the table, the brilliant red bird bobbled slightly and raised her wings for balance, chirping irritably.
From "The Reader" by Traci Chee
But on what would have been a tricky double play, the Dodgers failed to record any outs, with Gavin Lux bobbling the ball at second base to let in a run, making it 2-0.
From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 15, 2024
More groans from home supporters followed as Maxime Lucu just beat the grasping fingers of White to a bobbling ball in the scoring zone.
From BBC ● Feb. 10, 2024
It's an unmistakable image of the Disney+ show: Mando in his silver armor and face-shielding helmet and Grogu bobbling along, behind or beside with his own gleaming protective hovercraft.
From Salon ● Mar. 8, 2023
He scored two plays after a wide-open Scotty Miller caught a 22-yard pass and went down while bobbling the ball at the 5.
From Washington Times ● Nov. 13, 2022
They saw flocks of gulls, gossiping, bickering, bobbling on the waves, flying in noisy swarms.
From "Homecoming" by Cynthia Voigt
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.
