lob
1 Americanverb (used with object)
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lobs,
present (3rd person singular)
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lobbed,
past participle, past
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lobbing
present participle
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Tennis. to hit (a ball) in a high arc to the back of the opponent's court.
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to fire (a missile, as a shell) in a high trajectory so that it drops onto a target.
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Cricket. to bowl (the ball) with a slow underhand motion.
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to throw (something) slowly in an arc.
verb (used without object)
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lobs,
present (3rd person singular)
-
lobbed,
past participle, past
-
lobbing
present participle
noun
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Tennis. a ball hit in a high arc to the back of the opponent's court.
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Cricket. a ball bowled with a slow underhand motion.
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British Dialect. a slow, heavy, dull-witted person.
noun
noun
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a ball struck in a high arc
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cricket a ball bowled in a slow high arc
verb
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to hit or kick (a ball) in a high arc
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informal to throw, esp in a high arc
noun
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Inflected Forms
Participles
Conjugated Forms
Present
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lobsimple
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lobssimple
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have lobbedperfect
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has lobbedperfect
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am lobbingprogressive
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are lobbingprogressive
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is lobbingprogressive
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have been lobbingperfect progressive
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has been lobbingperfect progressive
Past
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lobbedsimple
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had lobbedperfect
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was lobbingprogressive
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were lobbingprogressive
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had been lobbingperfect progressive
Future
Etymology
Origin of lob
1325–75; in earlier sense, to behave like a lob ( Middle English lobbe, lob bumpkin, clumsy person, originally pollack; Old English: spider; basic sense, something pendulous); cognate with Middle Low German, Middle Dutch lobbe dangling part, stockfish, etc.
Explanation
When you lob something, you throw it up very high. If you lob a baseball from the outfield to the pitcher, you hurl it in an arc that ends right where the pitcher can catch it. If you propel an object in an arc, you lob it. For example, a soldier might lob a missile at the enemy. Tennis players can lob a ball by hitting it up and over the net. Today the noun lob means a throw (or hit) that follows an arc, but in the 14th century a lob was a "lazy lout," and in the 16th century it was "a lumpish thing."
Vocabulary lists containing lob
The Smashing Lexicon of Tennis
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The Wild Robot
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Heat
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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.
See Examples For:
His high-profile targets went on to include the future French president Nicolas Sarkozy in 1997 -- although in that case he had an accomplice lob the actual pie for fear of being recognised.
From Barron's ● Aug. 24, 2026
Where one sees an opportunity to hit a lob wedge, another will hit a bump-and-run.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 15, 2026
Adou Thiero ran the court, took a lob pass from Chris Mañon and threw down a two-handed dunk.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 12, 2026
Playing with variety and spin, Chwalinska can lob, drop shot and moonball her opponents to distraction, but she can also hit with pace to finish off points quickly.
From BBC ● Jun. 4, 2026
It was a suborbital lob shot, and though the spacecraft was empty, the newspapers said it was the opening round of America’s program to put men into space.
From "October Sky" by Homer Hickam
The rally - full of extraordinary drop shots, lobs and smashes - will take some beating this year.
From BBC ● Mar. 12, 2026
A high-flying athletic center, Hayes is the type of player who excels next to a pick-and-roll artist such as Doncic, who loves to put on a show with flashy lobs.
From Los Angeles Times ● Nov. 26, 2025
Jodie Burrage, who played doubles with Kartal, joked it was not a surprise to learn the statistic about Kartal's height "given how many lobs went over her head".
From BBC ● Jul. 5, 2025
The game feels a little slower, more reliant on careful lobs than power; it reminds me a little of billiards, though squash is probably padel’s closest relative.
From Los Angeles Times ● Mar. 27, 2025
Jupiter picks up the unicorn Beanie Baby from her desk and lobs it at him.
From "Odd One Out" by Nic Stone
Vice President JD Vance learned this last week when he lobbed a strange insult at El-Sayed during a rally in Michigan for Rogers.
From Salon ● Oct. 19, 2026
James showed flashes of quality and nonchalantly lobbed goalkeeper Fafailia Petaloti from 30 yards in the first half, but her effort was ruled out for offside.
From BBC ● Oct. 9, 2026
But as the Canadian prime minister was talking, Trump, frustrated with a technical issue that prevented him from chiming in, lobbed the device over the Resolute Desk and onto the floor, an official present said.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 6, 2026
Ismael Saibari's lobbed finish was gorgeous and too much for Liverpool's Alisson.
From BBC ● Jun. 19, 2026
The second was too long and lobbed over her head.
From "Lizzie Bright and the Buckminster Boy" by Gary D. Schmidt
It’s easy to be the candidate lobbing criticisms, or even the defense lawyer arguing the facts.
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 28, 2026
Nicknamed "the Glooper" for his cries of "Gloop! Gloop!" after each strike, Godin spent more than three decades lobbing pies at rich and famous targets he felt needed bringing down a notch.
From Barron's ● Aug. 24, 2026
But so far she hasn’t stumped for him, instead lobbing veiled criticisms of Talarico’s efforts to win over Black voters.
From Slate ● Aug. 14, 2026
But given the 35-year-old Briton is best known for lobbing Roger Federer on Centre Court, he knows his 2016 Wimbledon exploits will follow him for the rest of his life.
From BBC ● Jul. 1, 2026
Frank tried to imagine staying here with Iris, putting on a R.O.F.L. shirt, selling crystals and dream catchers to demigod travelers and lobbing gluten-free cupcake simulations at passing monsters.
From "The Son of Neptune" by Rick Riordan
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Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
