fob

2
[ fob ]
/ fɒb /
SEE SYNONYMS FOR fob ON THESAURUS.COM

verb (used with object), fobbed, fob·bing.

Archaic. to cheat; deceive.

Verb Phrases

fob off,
  1. to cheat someone by substituting something spurious or inferior; palm off (often followed by on): He tried to fob off an inferior brand on us.
  2. to put (someone) off by deception or trickery: She fobbed us off with false promises.

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Origin of fob

2
1350–1400; Middle English fobben; cognate with German foppen to delude; cf. fob1

Words nearby fob

foamed metal, foamed plastic, foamflower, foamy, foamy virus, fob, fob off, fobs, foc, focaccia, focal
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2020

Words related to fob off

cheat, deceive, foist, misinform, mislead, misrepresent, rook, scam, stall, swindle, trick, misguide, offload

British Dictionary definitions for fob off (1 of 4)

fob off

verb (tr, adverb)

to appease or trick (a person) with lies or excuses
to dispose of (goods) by trickery

British Dictionary definitions for fob off (2 of 4)

fob1
/ (fɒb) /

noun

a chain or ribbon by which a pocket watch is attached to a waistcoat
any ornament hung on such a chain
a small pocket in a man's waistcoat, for holding a watch
a metal or plastic tab on a key ring

Word Origin for fob

C17: probably of Germanic origin; compare German dialect Fuppe pocket

British Dictionary definitions for fob off (3 of 4)

fob2
/ (fɒb) /

verb fobs, fobbing or fobbed

an archaic word for cheat

Word Origin for fob

C15: probably from German foppen to trick

British Dictionary definitions for fob off (4 of 4)

fob3
/ (fɒb) /

noun

NZ slang a Pacific Islander who has newly arrived in New Zealand

Word Origin for fob

C20: from f (resh) o (ff) (the) b (oat)
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

Idioms and Phrases with fob off

fob off
1

Sell or dispose of goods by fraud or deception, as in They tried to fob off the zircon as a diamond. [c. 1600]

2

Put off or appease by deceitful means, as in We needed her help but were fobbed off by promises. [c. 1600]

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