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Synonyms

glob

American  
[glob] / glɒb /

noun

globs plural
  1. a drop or globule of a liquid.

  2. a usually rounded quantity or lump of some plastic or moldable substance.

    a little glob of clay; a huge glob of whipped cream.


glob British  
/ ɡlɒb /

noun

  1. informal a rounded mass of some thick fluid or pliable substance

    a glob of cream

"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

Other Word Forms

Noun Inflected Forms

Etymology

Origin of glob

1895–1900; perhaps blend of globe and blob

Explanation

A glob is a shapeless clump or hunk of something. Even the most skilled potter starts out with nothing but a glob of damp clay on her pottery wheel. Globs are soft, squishy, or partly liquid substances — you can't really have a glob of pizza, but you can add a glob of melty mozzarella to the top of a pizza. An artist drops globs of oil paint on her palette, and a chocolate maker fills molds with globs of warm melted chocolate. While we know glob first appeared in print around 1900, its origin isn't clear. It may have imitated words like blob and gob.

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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.

She punctuates the quip by taking a big bite, leaving a glob of frosting on her face.

From Los Angeles Times • Jan. 11, 2026

If eaten in the right order, locals say, fresh notes should emerge with each glob on the flight: caramel, custard and finally, an almost alcoholic bitterness heralding the Musang King.

From BBC • Jan. 10, 2026

"It represents who I am, I think," said Braathen, who left the Norwegian set-up in 2023 after clinching the World Cup slalom crystal glob and announced his link-up with the Brazilian federation in March 2024.

From Barron's • Nov. 16, 2025

"It's basically a glob of randomness," Xue said.

From Science Daily • Jan. 4, 2024

I broke off a square, and a glob of caramel oozed onto my finger.

From "Keep It Together, Keiko Carter" by Debbi Michiko Florence

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