Meaning & use
bob
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Meanings
nouncountable
A short, even haircut in which the hair ends around the level of the chin or jaw.
Grammar: Countable: a sleek bob.
Patterns
- have a bob
- get a bob
She had her long hair cut into a neat bob.
The actress is known for her sleek, dark bob.
A chin-length bob suits her round face.
verbintransitive
To move up and down in a light, quick way, as something floating on water does.
Grammar: Usually with a direction word: bob up, bob about.
Patterns
- bob up and down
- bob about
- bob along
Small boats bobbed on the water in the harbor.
The apples bobbed in the barrel.
A toy duck bobbed in the bathtub.
verbtransitive or intransitive
To make a quick small bend of the head or body, as in greeting, agreement, or music.
Grammar: Often used with head: bob your head.
Patterns
- bob your head
- bob a curtsy
He bobbed his head in thanks and left.
The children bobbed to the beat.
The maid bobbed a curtsy to the guests.
verbtransitiveold-fashioned
To cut hair short so it ends level around the chin or neck.
Grammar: Takes an object: bob her hair.
Patterns
- bob someone's hair
In the 1920s, many women bobbed their hair.
She bobbed her hair for summer.
He bobbed the girl's hair in the barbershop.
nouncountable
A quick short up-and-down movement or a small nod.
Grammar: Often a bob of the head.
Patterns
- a bob of the head
She gave a bob of the head and moved on.
The float disappeared with a bob.
A quick bob in the water showed the buoy.
nouncountableBritishold-fashionedinformal
A British informal word for a shilling, an old coin worth one twentieth of a pound.
Grammar: Unchanged in plural: ten bob.
Patterns
- ten bob
My grandfather paid five bob for a haircut.
The book cost two bob in those days.
He earned thirty bob a week.
Word forms
| plural | bobs |
|---|---|
| third person singular | bobs |
| past tense | bobbed |
| past participle | bobbed |
| -ing form | bobbing |
Common combinations
- bob up and down
- The buoy bobbed up and down in the swell.
- bob your head
- He bobbed his head to the music.
- chin-length bob
- A chin-length bob is easy to maintain.
- bob for apples
- At the party, the kids bobbed for apples.
- bob to the surface
- The cork bobbed to the surface.
- cut into a bob
- She had her hair cut into a bob.
Synonyms and how they differ
- float
- Float means to rest on the surface without sinking, while bob stresses the up-and-down movement.
- bounce
- Bounce is a stronger, springy movement, usually off a surface, while bob is lighter.
- nod
- Nod is a deliberate downward movement of the head to show agreement, whereas bob is quicker and may be repeated.
- bobbed haircut
- A bobbed haircut is the longer way to refer to the style that the noun bob names.
Word family
Commonly confused: bob or Bob? bob or bog?
bob vs Bob
Bob with a capital B is a man's name, a short form of Robert, and not the hairstyle or the movement.
bob vs bog
A bog is wet, spongy ground, and it differs from bob in only one letter.
Practice
Which sentence uses bob in the sense of moving lightly up and down?
Choose one answer.
Corks bobbing on the water is the up-and-down movement. The other sentences use the hairstyle, the old coin and the name.
Make it your own
Write a sentence using “bob”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.