Definitions and meaning of mob
mob
Pronunciation
- (Received Pronunciation) enPR: mŏb, IPA(key): /mɒb/
- (General American) enPR: mŏb, IPA(key): /mɑb/
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- Rhymes: -ɒb
Etymology 1
From Middle English mob, short for mobile, from Latin mōbile (vulgus) (“fickle (crowd)”). The video-gaming sense originates from English mobile, used by Richard Bartle for objects capable of movement in an early MUD.
Noun
mob (plural mobs)
- A large or disorderly group of people; especially one bent on riotous or destructive action.
- February 13, 1788, James Madison, Jr., Federalist No. 55
- Had every Athenian citizen been a Socrates, every Athenian assembly would still have been a mob.
- (collective noun) A group of animals such as horses or cattle.
- (collective noun) A group of kangaroos.
- (collective noun) A flock of emus.
- The Mafia, or a similar group that engages in organized crime (preceded by the).
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- 1986, Paul Chadwick, Concrete: Under the Desert Stars, Dark Horse Books
- What if it is a mob killing? They can’t hurt me, but …
- (video games) A non-player character, especially one that exists to be fought or killed to further the progression of the story or game.
- 2002, "Wolfie", Re: Whoa - massive changes due in next patch (on newsgroup alt.games.everquest)
- You can't win with small, balanced groups. You have to zerg the mob with a high number of players.
- (archaic) The lower classes of a community; the rabble.
- (Australian Aboriginal) A group of Aboriginal people associated with an extended family group, clan group or wider community group, from a particular place or country.
- 2011 March 10, Allan Clarke, W.A. through Noongar eyes
- There’s nothing like local knowledge and after thousands of years living here the Noongar mob understand this land better than anyone, so it makes sense for them to tap into the lucrative tourism industry.
Synonyms
Derived terms
Translations
Verb
mob (third-person singular simple present mobs, present participle mobbing, simple past and past participle mobbed)
- (transitive) To crowd around (someone), sometimes with hostility.
- The fans mobbed a well-dressed couple who resembled their idols.
- (transitive) To crowd into or around a place.
- The shoppers mobbed the store on the first day of the sale.
Translations
Etymology 2
Alteration of mab.
Noun
mob (plural mobs)
- (obsolete) A promiscuous woman; a harlot or wench; a prostitute. [17th-18th c.]
- A mob cap.
- c. 1773-1774, Oliver Goldsmith, letter to Mrs Bunbury
- cover their faces with mobs
Derived terms
Verb
mob (third-person singular simple present mobs, present participle mobbing, simple past and past participle mobbed)
- (transitive) To wrap up in, or cover with, a cowl.
Etymology 3
Abbreviation of mobile phone.
Noun
mob (plural mobs)
- mobile phone
Usage notes
- This is most often used in signwriting to match with the other three-letter abbreviations tel (“telephone”) and fax (“facsimile”).
Further reading
-
- Mob in the Encyclopædia Britannica (11th edition, 1911)
References
Anagrams
Danish
Verb
mob
- imperative of mobbe
French
Etymology
Clipping of mobylette.
Pronunciation
Noun
mob f (plural mobs)
- (colloquial) scooter, moped
Further reading
- “mob”, in Trésor de la langue française informatisé [Digitized Treasury of the French Language], 2012.
Volapük
Pronunciation
Noun
mob (nominative plural mobs)
- suggestion
Declension
Derived terms
White Hmong
Etymology
From Proto-Hmong-Mien *ʔmun (“illness, pain”). Cognate with Iu Mien mun.
Pronunciation
Verb
mob
- to be ill/sick; to hurt; to be unwell
References
- Ernest E. Heimbach, White Hmong - English Dictionary (1979, SEAP Publications)
Source: wiktionary.org- to crowd about.
(source: Collins Scrabble Dictionary)