Dictionary.com
Thesaurus.com
Jump To:
  • cob
    cob
    noun
    a corncob.
  • COB
    COB
    abbreviation
    close of business.
Synonyms

cob

1 American  
[kob] / kɒb /

noun

  1. a corncob.

  2. a male swan.

  3. a short-legged, thick-set horse, often having a high gait and frequently used for driving.

  4. British. a mixture of clay and straw, used as a building material.

  5. British Dialect. a rounded mass or lump.

  6. a crude silver or gold Spanish-American coin of the 16th to 18th centuries, characteristically irregular in shape and bearing only a partial impression of the dies from which it was struck.


COB 2 American  

abbreviation

Business.
  1. close of business.

    The data analysis will be on your desk by COB Wednesday.


cob 1 British  
/ kɒb /

noun

  1. a male swan

  2. a thickset short-legged type of riding and draught horse

  3. short for corncob corncob pipe cobnut

  4. another name for hazel

  5. a small rounded lump or heap of coal, ore, etc

  6. a building material consisting of a mixture of clay and chopped straw

  7. Also called: cob loaf.  a round loaf of bread

"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. informal (tr) to beat, esp on the buttocks

"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
cob 2 British  
/ kɒb /

noun

  1. an archaic or dialect name for the greater black-backed gull ( Larus marinus ) See also gull 1

"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

Etymology

Origin of cob

First recorded in 1375–1425; late Middle English cobbe “male swan, leader of a gang”; these and various subsequent senses are obscurely related and probably in part of distinct origin

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.

That includes adobe and cob, a material made from clay, sand and straw.

From Los Angeles Times • Jun. 28, 2025

Emulsified elote batter is molded to resemble corn on the cob.

From Salon • Dec. 3, 2024

His Nando's order - plain chicken burger, straight chips, corn cob - comes bland and beige.

From BBC • Jul. 15, 2024

The researchers did find genes related to cob size -- perhaps representing an increased yield potential -- and flowering time, which likely helped maize, a tropical crop, to grow at higher latitudes with longer days.

From Science Daily • Nov. 30, 2023

They roasted the sweetcom in the husk that night, turning the ears with long forked sticks, and ate it hot right off the cob.

From "A Clash of Kings" by George R.R. Martin

Vocabulary.com logo
by dictionary.com

Look it up. Learn it forever.

Remember "cob" for good with VocabTrainer. Expand your vocabulary effortlessly with personalized learning tools that adapt to your goals.

Take me to Vocabulary.com