bob
bob Lexical Profile
bob Game Scores & Validity
• noun
A style of haircut in which the hair is cut short and evenly all around the head so that it hangs above the shoulders.
"She decided to have her long hair cut into a sleek, chin-length bob."
A quick, short movement up and down, or a slight curtsy or nod of the head.
"He gave a polite bob of his head as he passed the director in the hallway."
A weight hanging at the end of a string, wire, or pendulum, or a float attached to a fishing line.
"The carpenter used a heavy brass bob on a string to ensure the wall was perfectly vertical."
A bobsled used for racing down an iced track.
"The four-person team pushed the heavy bob furiously at the start of the winter race."
British A former British coin and monetary unit equal to one shilling (used as an invariable plural).
"In the old days, you could buy a decent lunch at the market for just a couple of bob."
• verb
To make a quick, short movement up and down, especially while floating in water.
"Small wooden fishing boats bobbed gently on the surface of the harbor."
To cut hair in a short, even style that hangs above the shoulders, or to dock the tail of a horse or dog.
"Many women in the 1920s chose to bob their hair as a symbol of modern independence."
To try to seize floating objects, such as apples, using only the teeth as a traditional party game.
"The children gathered around the wooden tub to bob for apples at the autumn festival."
• Rhymes for bob
Word Origin & Etymology
Attested since Middle English in various senses related to a small bunch, cluster, or sudden motion, likely of sound-symbolic or imitative origin.