bobble
Americannoun
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a repeated, jerky movement; bob.
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a momentary fumbling or juggling of a batted or thrown baseball.
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an error; mistake.
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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)
noun
-
a short jerky motion, as of a cork floating on disturbed water; bobbing movement
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a tufted ball, usually for ornament, as on a knitted hat
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any small dangling ball or bundle
verb
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(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
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bobblesimple
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bobblessimple
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have bobbledperfect
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has bobbledperfect
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am bobblingprogressive
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are bobblingprogressive
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is bobblingprogressive
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have been bobblingperfect progressive
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has been bobblingperfect progressive
Past
-
bobbledsimple
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had bobbledperfect
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was bobblingprogressive
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were bobblingprogressive
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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
Having started the play on first base, Pages saw the bobble, then decided to go for the tying run.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jun. 13, 2024
And I’m not going to make any excuses for college presidents who bobble this issue.
From Seattle Times ● Dec. 17, 2023
He pointed to a green humped structure with a bobble head attached to one side by a stubby neck made of coiled spring.
From "Mr. Lemoncello's Library Olympics" by Chris Grabenstein
“For hoodies we look at pilling, which are the small bobbles that form on fabric.”
From BBC ● Nov. 4, 2024
Fujii decorated these with a basic white sugar glaze and silver bobbles.
From Salon ● Dec. 24, 2023
She came through an elite training camp a few weeks ago with top scores, and the bobbles she experienced Friday were born of rustiness, not of fear.
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 4, 2023
They lamented a couple of bobbles during their rhythm dance Saturday, though it was still good enough to leave them in first place.
From Seattle Times ● Oct. 23, 2022
And he bobbles about on the waves, Brave boys!
From Punch, or the London Charivari, Volume 102, April 9, 1892 by Various
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
Then Willy Adames hammered a double to left-center, allowing Devers to score after Andy Pages bobbled the ball while trying to retrieve it up against the wall.
From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 13, 2025
In her childhood her father had never misinterpreted her, nor bobbled once, except when she was eleven and came home to dinner from school one day and found that her blood had begun to flow.
From "Go Set a Watchman: A Novel" by Harper Lee
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
His oxygen levels were bobbling up and down, the device attached to his finger showed.
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 6, 2023
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
A little one, bobbling about, with the mast fallen off?
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.
