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Meaning & use

lobe

noun·Academic

Last updated

UK/ləʊb/
US/loʊb/

Meanings

  1. nouncountable

    The soft, rounded lower part of the outer ear, which hangs down below the rest.

    Grammar: Usually called earlobe, or ear lobe in two words.

    Patterns

    • pierce the lobe

    She had her ear lobes pierced when she was twelve.

    He tugged his earlobe while thinking.

    The cold made the tips of her lobes turn red.

  2. nouncountablemedicalbiology

    One of the main rounded sections of an organ, especially of the brain, lungs, or liver.

    Grammar: Often named with a position or area: the frontal lobe, the upper lobe of the lung.

    Patterns

    • the frontal lobe
    • a lobe of the lung

    The frontal lobe helps control planning and judgment.

    The surgeon removed a damaged lobe of the lung.

    Each lobe of the liver has a different blood supply.

  3. nouncountablebiologytechnical

    A rounded part that sticks out, as on a leaf or other structure.

    Grammar: Used in biology and in descriptions of shapes.

    Patterns

    • a lobe of a leaf

    The oak leaf has several rounded lobes.

    One lobe of the diagram showed the strongest signal.

    A cell with many lobes looked unusual under the microscope.

Word forms

plurallobes

Common combinations

frontal lobe
Damage to the frontal lobe can change behavior.
temporal lobe
The temporal lobe is involved in hearing and memory.
ear lobe
The earring hung from her ear lobe.
upper lobe
Doctors found a small spot in the upper lobe.
occipital lobe
The occipital lobe processes what we see.

Synonyms and how they differ

earlobe
Earlobe is the usual compound for the soft hanging part of the ear, while lobe alone also names parts of organs.
section
Section is a general word for any part, whereas lobe means a specific rounded division.
segment
Segment suggests a part cut from a whole, while lobe suggests a naturally rounded part.

Word family

lobed adjective
having lobes
lobar adjective
relating to a lobe, especially of the lung
lobule noun
a small lobe
lobectomy noun
surgery to remove a lobe of an organ

Commonly confused: lobe or lob?

lobe vs lob

Lob means to throw or hit something in a high arc, and has no connection to lobe.

Practice

Which part of the brain is usually called a lobe?

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