goby

[ goh-bee ]

noun,plural (especially collectively) go·by, (especially referring to two or more kinds or species) go·bies.
  1. any small marine or freshwater fish of the family Gobiidae, often having the pelvic fins united to form a suctorial disk.

  2. any fish of the closely related family Eleotridae, having the pelvic fins separate.

Origin of goby

1
1760–70; <Latin gōbius gudgeon (spelling variant of gōbiō or cōbius) <Greek kōbiós

Other definitions for go-by (2 of 2)

go-by
[ goh-bahy ]

nounInformal.
  1. a going by without notice; an intentional passing by; snub: to give one the go-by.

Origin of go-by

2
First recorded in 1605–15; noun use of verb phrase go by

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2024

How to use goby in a sentence

  • Now this was the first time that I had supposed dead deer come to life and give me the go-by, though it was not the last time.

    Fifty Years a Hunter and Trapper | Eldred Nathaniel Woodcock
  • "He's one of your old fellers as you've give the go-by to, I kind of suspicion, Sis," replied the young man with a laugh.

    Earth's Enigmas | Charles G. D. Roberts
  • We had already given one or two the go-by, when we heard a clattering of hoofs close behind us, and the well-known cry, "G'lang."

  • They beckoned very urgently for us to come ashore, but I acted as if I did not understand them, and gave them the go-by.

    Death Valley in '49 | William Lewis Manly
  • To avert this catastrophe, Winnie determined to give the go-by to coy modesty.

    Mrs. Maxon Protests | Anthony Hope

British Dictionary definitions for goby (1 of 3)

goby

/ (ˈɡəʊbɪ) /


nounplural -by or -bies
  1. any small spiny-finned fish of the family Gobiidae, of coastal or brackish waters, having a large head, an elongated tapering body, and the ventral fins modified as a sucker

  2. any other gobioid fish

Origin of goby

1
C18: from Latin gōbius gudgeon, fish of little value, from Greek kōbios

British Dictionary definitions for go by (2 of 3)

go by

verb(intr)
  1. to pass: the cars went by; as the years go by we all get older; don't let those opportunities go by!

  2. (preposition) to be guided by: in the darkness we could only go by the stars

  1. (preposition) to use as a basis for forming an opinion or judgment: it's wise not to go only by appearances

British Dictionary definitions for go-by (3 of 3)

go-by

noun
  1. slang a deliberate snub or slight (esp in the phrase give (a person) the go-by)

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 Idioms and Phrases with goby

goby

Elapse, pass, as in the popular song, “As Time Goes By” (by Herman Hupfeld, 1931), or He just went by our house. [c. 1600]

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