Meaning & use
mobbing
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“mobbing” is a form of “mob”. See that entry for the full set of meanings.
Meanings
verbtransitive
Present participle of mob: crowding around a person in a large, excited or aggressive group.
Grammar: Takes an object: fans were mobbing the singer.
Patterns
- mobbing someone
Fans were mobbing the singer as she left the hotel.
Reporters kept mobbing the mayor with questions.
Shoppers are mobbing the store on opening day.
noununcountablebiology
The behavior of a group of animals, especially birds, that attack or harass a predator to drive it away.
Grammar: Used without a: crows engage in mobbing.
Patterns
- mobbing of something
The mobbing of the hawk by small birds lasted several minutes.
Mobbing helps small birds protect their nests.
Scientists study mobbing as a form of group defense.
noununcountable
Persistent harassment or bullying of one person by a group, especially at work.
Grammar: Often used with at work or in the workplace.
Patterns
- mobbing at work
- victim of mobbing
She left the company after months of mobbing by her colleagues.
Mobbing at work can cause serious stress and illness.
The union offers support to victims of mobbing.
Word forms
| base | mob |
|---|---|
| past tense | mobbed |
| third person singular | mobs |
Common combinations
- workplace mobbing
- Workplace mobbing can destroy a person's confidence.
- victim of mobbing
- She was a victim of mobbing.
- mobbing behavior
- Mobbing behavior is common among crows.
- mobbing the singer
- Teenagers were mobbing the singer outside the venue.
- mobbing of a predator
- The mobbing of the owl continued for an hour.
Synonyms and how they differ
- bullying
- Bullying is the general word and can be done by one person, whereas mobbing involves a group acting together.
- swarming
- Swarming describes a crowd moving around someone, but it lacks the hostile sense mobbing can carry.
- harassment
- Harassment is the broad legal word for unwanted hostile behavior and need not involve many people.
- crowding
- Crowding means pressing around and need not suggest hostility or excitement.
Word family
Commonly confused: mobbing or mobbin? mobbing or mobility?
mobbing vs mobbin
Mobbin is a slang spelling in some music and street language and is not the standard word.
mobbing vs mobility
Mobility is the ability to move; the words are only related in spelling.
Practice
Small birds are known for ____ hawks, flying at them until they leave the area.
Choose one answer.
After the preposition for, an -ing form is needed. Mobbing here means a group attacking a predator to drive it away.
Make it your own
Write a sentence using “mobbing”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.