bob

/bɑb/

/bɒb/

Other forms: bobbing; bobbed; bobs

To bob is to dip up and down, the way something does when it floats on the surface of water. A lobster buoy bobs in the ocean, marking the spot where a lobsterman's trap is set.

Your friend stands out when her red hat bobs among a crowd of people, and so does a red boat as it bobs on a lake. You might bob your head to indicate agreement or get a short haircut that's also called a bob. The motion bob comes from the Old English bobben, "to strike," while the hair style stems from the earlier bobbe, or "cluster," and first referred a trimmed horse's tail.

Definitions of bob

1. verb

   move up and down repeatedly
   “her rucksack bobbed gently on her back”

   types:

   dabble

   bob forward and under so as to feed off the bottom of a body of water

   bob about, bob around

   move up and down with no specific path

   type of:

   move

   move so as to change position, perform a nontranslational motion
2. verb

   make a curtsy; usually done only by girls and women; as a sign of respect
   synonyms: curtsy

   type of:

   greet, recognise, recognize

   express greetings upon meeting someone
3. noun

   a short abrupt inclination (as of the head)
   “he gave me a short bob of acknowledgement”

   type of:

   inclination, inclining

   the act of inclining; bending forward
4. noun

   a hair style for women and children; a short haircut all around
   type of:

   coif, coiffure, hair style, hairdo, hairstyle

   the arrangement of the hair (especially a woman's hair)
5. noun

   a short or shortened tail of certain animals
   synonyms: bobtail, dock

   type of:

   tail

   the posterior part of the body of a vertebrate especially when elongated and extending beyond the trunk or main part of the body
6. verb

   remove or shorten the tail of an animal
   synonyms: dock, tail

   type of:

   cut

   separate with or as if with an instrument
7. verb

   cut hair in the style of a bob
   “Bernice bobs her hair these days!”

   type of:

   arrange, coif, coiffe, coiffure, do, dress, set

   arrange attractively
8. noun

   a long racing sled (for 2 or more people) with a steering mechanism
   synonyms: bobsled, bobsleigh

   type of:

   sled, sledge, sleigh

   a vehicle mounted on runners and pulled by horses or dogs; for transportation over snow
9. verb

   ride a bobsled
   “The boys bobbed down the hill screaming with pleasure”

   synonyms: bobsled

   type of:

   sled, sleigh

   ride (on) a sled
10. noun

    a former monetary unit in Great Britain
    synonyms: British shilling, shilling

    type of:

    British monetary unit

    monetary unit in Great Britain
11. noun

    a hanging weight, especially a metal ball on a string
    types:

    kite tail

    a bob on a kite to provide balance

    plumb, plumb bob, plummet

    the metal bob of a plumb line

    sounding lead

    a metal bob at the end of a sounding line

    type of:

    weight

    an artifact that is heavy
12. noun

    a small float usually made of cork; attached to a fishing line
    synonyms: bobber, bobfloat, cork

    type of:

    float

    something that floats on the surface of water