From Middle Englishbobben(“to strike, beat, shake, jog”), of uncertain origin. Compare Scotsbob(“to mark, dance with a bobbing motion”), Icelandicboppa(“to wave up and down”), Swedishbobba(“to bob”), Dutch dobberen ("bobbing").
Verb
bob (third-person singular simple presentbobs, present participlebobbing, simple past and past participlebobbed)
(intransitive) To move gently and vertically, in either a single motion or repeatedly up and down, at or near the surface of a body of water, or similar medium.
(transitive) To move (something) as though it were bobbing in water.
bob one's head (= to nod)
To curtsy.
To strike with a quick, light blow; to tap.
(intransitive)Synonym of blob(“catch eels using worms strung on thread”)
Derived terms
Translations
Noun
bob (pluralbobs)
A bobbing motion; a quick up and down movement.
a bob of the head
A curtsy.
A bobber (buoyant fishing device).
Any of various hesperiid butterflies.
Derived terms
Translations
Etymology 2
From Middle Englishbobbe(“a cluster (of fruit); a twig with its leaves, a spray”).
Noun
bob (pluralbobs)
A bob haircut.
Any round object attached loosely to a flexible line, a rod, a body part etc., so that it may swing when hanging from it.
The dangling mass of a pendulum or plumb line.
The docked tail of a horse.
A short line ending a stanza of a poem.
The short runner of a sled.
A bobsleigh.
A small wheel, made of leather, with rounded edges, used in polishing spoons, etc.
A working beam in a steam engine.
A particular style of ringing changes on bells.
A blow; a shake or jog; a rap, as with the fist.
(obsolete) A knot or short curl of hair; also, a bob wig.
(obsolete) The refrain of a song.
(obsolete) A jeer; a sharp jest or taunt.
Derived terms
Translations
Verb
bob (third-person singular simple presentbobs, present participlebobbing, simple past and past participlebobbed)
(transitive) To cut (hair) into a bob haircut.
(transitive) To shorten by cutting; to dock; to crop.
To bobsleigh.
Translations
Etymology 3
(This etymology is missing or incomplete. Please add to it, or discuss it at the Etymology scriptorium.)
Noun
bob (pluralbobor(rare)bobs)
(Kenya, slang; UK and Australia, historical, dated) A shilling.
(Australia, dated slang) A 10-cent coin.
(slang) An unspecified amount of money.
Usage notes
The use of bob for shilling is dated slang in the UK and Australia, since decimalisation. In East African countries where the currency is the shilling, it is current usage, and not considered slang. OED gives first usage as 1789.
The use of bob to describe a 10-cent coin is derived from the fact that it was of equal worth to a shilling during decimalisation, however since then, the term has slowly dropped out of usage and is seldom used today.
Derived terms
Etymology 4
Noun
bob (pluralbobs)
Abbreviation of shishkabob.
Etymology 5
blitterobject
Noun
bob (pluralbobs)
(computer graphics, demoscene) A graphical element, resembling a hardware sprite, that can be blitted around the screen in large numbers.
Derived terms
shadebob
See also
Anagrams
obb
Dutch
Pronunciation
IPA(key): /bɔp/
Hyphenation: bob
Rhymes: -ɔp
Homophone: Bob
Etymology 1
From bewust onbeschonken bestuurder(“deliberately unintoxicated driver”).
Noun
bobm (pluralbobs, diminutivebobjen)
designated driver
Etymology 2
Borrowed from Englishbob.
Noun
bobf or m (pluralbobs)
(winter sports)bob, bobsleigh
Synonym:bobslee
French
Pronunciation
IPA(key): /bɔb/
Etymology 1
From the English personal name Bob, used to designate light infantrymen, and probably introduced into French during the First World War.
Noun
bobm (pluralbobs)
bucket hat, fishing hat
Etymology 2
(This etymology is missing or incomplete. Please add to it, or discuss it at the Etymology scriptorium.)
Noun
bobm (pluralbobs)
(Belgium) designated driver, DD
Further reading
“bob”, in Trésor de la langue française informatisé[Digitized Treasury of the French Language], 2012.
Hungarian
Etymology
(This etymology is missing or incomplete. Please add to it, or discuss it at the Etymology scriptorium.)
Pronunciation
IPA(key): [ˈbob]
Hyphenation: bob
Rhymes: -ob
Noun
bob (pluralbobok)
bobsleigh
a type of sled (a flat-bottomed concave plastic sled with no runners, equipped with brakes)
a car used on the track of an alpine slide or bobsled rollercoaster (mountain coaster)
Declension
Synonyms
Derived terms
Further reading
bob in Ittzés, Nóra (ed.). A magyar nyelv nagyszótára (‘A Comprehensive Dictionary of the Hungarian Language’). Budapest: Akadémiai Kiadó, 2006–2031 (work in progress; published A–ez as of 2024)
Irish
Etymology
(This etymology is missing or incomplete. Please add to it, or discuss it at the Etymology scriptorium.)