Ob

[ awb, ob; Russian awp ]

noun

a river in the W Russian Federation in Asia, flowing NW to the Gulf of Ob. 2,500 miles (4,025 km) long.
Gulf of, an inlet of the Arctic Ocean. About 500 miles (800 km) long.

Other definitions for OB (2 of 7)

abbreviation

Also ob Medicine/Medical.
off Broadway.

opening of books.
ordered back.

Other definitions for ob- (3 of 7)

ob-

a prefix meaning “toward,” “to,” “on,” “over,” “against,” originally occurring in loanwords from Latin, but now used also, with the sense of “reversely,” “inversely,” to form New Latin and English scientific terms: object; obligate; oblanceolate.

Origin of ob-

Middle English (from Old French ) from Latin, representing ob (preposition); in some scientific terms, from New Latin, Latin ob- (prefix)

Also o- oc-, of-, op-.

Other definitions for ob. (4 of 7)

ob.¹

abbreviation

he died; she died.

Origin of ob.

⁴

From the Latin word obiit

Other definitions for ob. (5 of 7)

ob.²

abbreviation

incidentally.

Origin of ob.

⁵

From the Latin word obiter

Other definitions for ob. (6 of 7)

ob.³

abbreviation

oboe.
Meteorology. observation.

Other definitions for O.B. (7 of 7)

O.B.

abbreviation

opening of books.
ordered back.

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

How to use Ob in a sentence

In an ad called “Spelling Bee,” a young child spells “Pryor” as “O-B-A-M-A,” to which the judge says, “Close enough.”
Red State Democrats Ditch Obama | Patricia Murphy | July 29, 2014 | THE DAILY BEAST
Thus, in Figure 184, draw the line O B, and divide it into inches and parts of an inch.
Mechanical Drawing Self-Taught | Joshua Rose
Had he found the true O. B., only to behold another and final seal fall upon this closely folded mystery?
Initials Only | Anna Katharine Green
One time, while in the country, she met a sporting man, Mr. O. B.
The Autobiography of a Thief | Hutchins Hapgood
Let o b be tangent at o to the arc o d, of which c is the centre.
Modern Machine-Shop Practice, Volumes I and II | Joshua Rose

Snuffles and dabs her eyes and says: 'If I go back without any photograph, I'll lose my j-o-o-o-b!
The Bacillus of Beauty | Harriet Stark

British Dictionary definitions for Ob (1 of 4)

/ (Russian ɔpj) /

noun

a river in N central Russia, formed at Bisk by the confluence of the Biya and Katun Rivers and flowing generally north to the Gulf of Ob (an inlet of the Arctic Ocean): one of the largest rivers in the world, with a drainage basin of about 2 930 000 sq km (1 131 000 sq miles). Length: 3682 km (2287 miles)

British Dictionary definitions for OB (2 of 4)

abbreviation forBritish

Old Boy
outside broadcast

British Dictionary definitions for ob- (3 of 4)

ob-

prefix

inverse or inversely: obovate

Origin of ob-

from Old French, from Latin ob. In compound words of Latin origin, ob- (and oc-, of-, op-) indicates: to, towards (object); against (oppose); away from (obsolete); before (obstetric); down, over (obtect); for the sake of (obsecrate); and is used as an intensifier (oblong)

British Dictionary definitions for ob. (4 of 4)

ob.

abbreviation for

(on tombstones) obiit
obiter

oboe

Origin of ob.

⁴

(for sense 1) Latin: he (or she) died; (for sense 2) Latin: incidentally; in passing

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

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