bob

UK: 'bob', 'Bob': /ˈbɒb/ US: /bɑb/ ,(bob)

Inflections of 'bob' (v): (⇒ conjugate)

bobs

v 3rd person singular

bobbing

v pres p

bobbed

v past

bobbed

v past p

WordReference Random House Learner's Dictionary of American English © 2025

bob¹ /bɑb/   n., v., bobbed, bob•bing. 
n. [countable]

1. a short, jerky motion:
   A bob of her head told me she had noticed me.

v. 

2. to move (something) quickly down and up: [~ + object]
   She bobbed her head.
   [no object]
   bobbed up and down in the water, waving for help.
3. [~ + object] to indicate with such a motion:
   She bobbed a greeting without looking up from her work.
4. bob up, [no object] to appear unexpectedly.

bob² /bɑb/   n., v., bobbed, bob•bing. 
n. [countable]

1. Clothing a short, caplike haircut that is even on all sides.
2. a float for a fishing line:
   She put her string through the bob and watched it float on the lake.

v. 

3. Clothing [~ + object] to cut (hair, etc.) short:
   to bob one's hair.
4. to try to snatch floating or dangling objects with the teeth:
   [~ + for + object] bobbing for apples.

bob⁴ /bɑb/   n., pl. bob. 

1. British Terms Brit. shilling.

WordReference Random House Unabridged Dictionary of American English © 2025

bob¹  (bob), n., v., bobbed, bob•bing. 
n. 

1. a short, jerky motion:
   a bob of the head.

v.t. 

2. to move quickly down and up:
   to bob the head.
3. to indicate with such a motion:
   to bob a greeting.

v.i. 

4. to make a jerky motion with the head or body.
5. to move about with jerky, usually rising and falling motions:
   The ball bobbed upon the waves.
6. bob up, to emerge or appear, esp. unexpectedly:
   A familiar face bobbed up in the crowd.

• late Middle English bobben. See bob² 1400–50

bob²  (bob), n., v., bobbed, bob•bing. 
n. 

1. Clothing a style of short haircut for women and children.
2. a docked horse's tail.
3. Mechanical Engineering a dangling or terminal object, as the weight on a pendulum or a plumb line.
4. a short, simple line in a verse or song, esp. a short refrain or coda.
5. [Angling.]
   • Sport a knot of worms, rags, etc., on a string.
   • Sport a float for a fishing line.
6. Sport a bobsled or bob skate.
7. Scottish Terms a bunch, cluster, or wad, esp. a small bouquet of flowers.
8. Mechanical Engineering [Obs.] See walking beam. 

v.t. 

9. Clothing to cut short;
   dock:
   They bobbed their hair to be in style.

v.i. 

10. to try to snatch floating or dangling objects with the teeth:
    to bob for apples.
11. Sport [Angling.] to fish with a bob.

• 1300–50; Middle English bobbe (noun, nominal) spray, cluster, bunch (of leaves, flowers, fruit, etc.); of uncertain origin, originally

bob³  (bob), n., v., bobbed, bob•bing. 
n. 

1. a tap;
   light blow.
2. a polishing wheel of leather, felt, or the like.

v.t. 

3. to tap;
   strike lightly.

• Middle English bobben to strike, beat, perh. imitative See bop² 1350–1400

bob⁴  (bob), n., pl. bob. [Brit. Informal.]

1. British Terms a shilling.

• perh. from Bob 1780–90

Bob  (bob), n. 

1. a male given name, form of Robert. 

Collins Concise English Dictionary © HarperCollins Publishers::

bob / bɒb/ verb (bobs, bobbing, bobbed)

1. to move or cause to move up and down repeatedly, as while floating in water
2. to move or cause to move with a short abrupt movement, as of the head
3. (intransitive) usually followed by up: to appear or emerge suddenly
4. (intransitive) usually followed by for: to attempt to get hold (of a floating or hanging object, esp an apple) in the teeth as a game

noun

1. a short abrupt movement, as of the head

Etymology: 14th Century: of uncertain origin

bob / bɒb/ noun

1. a hairstyle in which the hair is cut short evenly all round the head
2. a dangling or hanging object, such as the weight on a pendulum or on a plumb line
3. short for bobsleigh

verb (bobs, bobbing, bobbed)

1. (transitive) to cut (the hair) in a bob
2. (transitive) to cut short (something, esp the tail of an animal); dock or crop
3. (intransitive) to ride on a bobsled

Etymology: 14th Century bobbe bunch of flowers, perhaps of Celtic origin

bob / bɒb/ noun (bob)

1. 
   (formerly) an informal word for a shilling1

Etymology: 19th Century: of unknown origin