bob

• POS: Noun, Verb (usu participle), Verb (intransitive)

CIDE DICTIONARY

bob, n. [An onomatopoetic word, expressing quick, jerky motion; OE. bob bunch, bobben to strike, mock, deceive. Cf. Prov. Eng. bob, n., a ball, an engine beam, bunch, blast, trick, taunt, scoff; as, a v., to dance, to courtesy, to disappoint, OF. bober to mock.].

•  Anything that hangs so as to play loosely, or with a short abrupt motion, as at the end of a string; a pendant; as, the bob at the end of a kite's tail.  [1913 Webster]

  "In jewels dressed and at each ear a bob."  [1913 Webster]
•  A knot of worms, or of rags, on a string, used in angling, as for eels; formerly, a worm suitable for bait.  [1913 Webster]

  "Or yellow bobs, turned up before the plow,
  Are chiefest baits, with cork and lead enow."  [1913 Webster]
•  A small piece of cork or light wood attached to a fishing line to show when a fish is biting; a float.  [1913 Webster]
•  The ball or heavy part of a pendulum; also, the ball or weight at the end of a plumb line.  [1913 Webster]
•  A small wheel, made of leather, with rounded edges, used in polishing spoons, etc.  [1913 Webster]
•  A short, jerking motion; act of bobbing; as, a bob of the head.  [1913 Webster]
•  A working beam.  [1913 Webster]
•  A knot or short curl of hair; also, a bob wig.  [1913 Webster]

  "A plain brown bob he wore."  [1913 Webster]
•  A peculiar mode of ringing changes on bells.  [1913 Webster]
•  The refrain of a song.  [1913 Webster]

  "To bed, to bed, will be the bob of the song."  [1913 Webster]
•  A blow; a shake or jog; a rap, as with the fist.  [1913 Webster]
•  A jeer or flout; a sharp jest or taunt; a trick.  [1913 Webster]

  "He that a fool doth very wisely hit,
  Doth very foolishly, although he smart,
  Not to seem senseless of the bob."  [1913 Webster]
•  A shilling.  Dickens.  [1913 Webster]

bob, v. t. [OE. bobben. See Bob, n.].

•  To cause to move in a short, jerking manner; to move (a thing) with a bob.  W. Irving.  [1913 Webster]
•  To strike with a quick, light blow; to tap.  [1913 Webster]

  "If any man happened by long sitting to sleep . . . he was suddenly bobbed on the face by the servants."  [1913 Webster]
•  To cheat; to gain by fraud or cheating; to filch.  [1913 Webster]

  "Gold and jewels that I bobbed from him."  [1913 Webster]
•  To mock or delude; to cheat.  [1913 Webster]

  "To play her pranks, and bob the fool,
  The shrewish wife began."  [1913 Webster]
•  To cut short; as, to bob the hair, or a horse's tail.  [1913 Webster]

bob, v. i. 

•  To have a short, jerking motion; to play to and fro, or up and down; to play loosely against anything.  Thackeray.  [1913 Webster]
•  To angle with a bob. See Bob, n., 2 & 3.  [1913 Webster]

  "He ne'er had learned the art to bob
  For anything but eels."  [1913 Webster]

To bob at an apple, cherry, etc. to attempt to bite or seize with the mouth an apple, cherry, or other round fruit, while it is swinging from a string or floating in a tug of water.

OXFORD DICTIONARY

bob, v. & n.
--v.intr. (bobbed, bobbing)
1 move quickly up and down; dance.
2 (usu. foll. by back, up) a bounce buoyantly. b emerge suddenly; become active or conspicuous again after a defeat etc.
3 curtsy.
4 (foll. by for) try to catch with the mouth alone (fruit etc. floating or hanging).
--n.
1 a jerking or bouncing movement, esp. upward.
2 a curtsy.
3 one of several kinds of change in long peals in bell-ringing.

bob, n. & v.
--n.
1 a short hairstyle for women and children.
2 a weight on a pendulum, plumb-line, or kite-tail.
3 = BOB-SLEIGH.
4 a horse's docked tail.
5 a short line at or towards the end of a stanza.
6 a knot of hair; a tassel-shaped curl.
--v. (bobbed, bobbing)
1 tr. cut (a woman's or child's hair) so that it hangs clear of the shoulders.
2 intr. ride on a bob-sleigh.

bob, n. (pl. same) Brit. sl. a former shilling (now = 5 decimal pence).

bob, n.

Idiom

bob's your uncle Brit. sl. an expression of completion or satisfaction.

Etymology

pet-form of the name Robert

THESAURUS

bob

Carling float, T square, abbreviate, abridge, abscind, abstract, accost, address, amputate, angle, annihilate, bait the hook, balsa, balsa raft, ban, bar, barber, bawbee, bend, bend the knee, bend the neck, bending the knee, bis, bob a curtsy, bob down, bobble, boil down, boom, bounce, bow, bow and scrape, bow down, bow the head, bowing and scraping, bump, buoy, burden, caper, capriole, capsulize, caracole, careen, cavort, chant, chatter, chorus, clam, clip, coggle, coif, coiffure, compress, condense, conk, contract, cork, crop, crouch, crown, cull, curtail, curtsy, curvet, cut, cut a dido, cut away, cut back, cut capers, cut down, cut off, cut off short, cut out, cut short, dangle, dap, dib, dibble, didder, dipping the colors, dither, ditto, dock, dollar, drive, duck, elide, eliminate, embrace, enucleate, epitomize, eradicate, except, excise, exclude, extinguish, extirpate, fall down before, falter, farthing, fish, fiver, flick, flip, flirt, float, florin, flounce, fluctuate, flutter, fly-fish, foreshorten, fourpence, fourpenny, frisk, gambado, gambol, genuflect, genuflection, gig, go fishing, greeting, grig, grimace, groat, guddle, guinea, hail, half crown, half dollar, halfpenny, hand-clasp, handshake, have an ague, hello, hitch, homage, how-do-you-do, hug, hustle, inclination, isolate, jack, jacklight, jactitate, jar, jerk, jig, jigget, jiggle, jog, joggle, jolt, jostle, jounce, jump, jump about, kiss, kneel, kneeling, knock, knock off, kowtow, lead, librate, life buoy, life preserver, life raft, lop, lurch, mag, make a leg, make a reverence, make obeisance, making a leg, meg, mite, monkey, mow, mutilate, net, new pence, nip, nod, np, nutate, obeisance, obsequiousness, oscillate, p, pare, peel, pence, pendulate, penny, pick out, pitch, pluck, plumb, plumb bob, plumb line, plumb rule, plummet, poll, pollard, pompadour, pontoon, pony, pound, prance, presenting arms, process, prostration, prune, quake, quaver, quid, quiver, raft, ramp, rap, reap, recap, recapitulate, reduce, reel, refrain, repeat, repetend, resonate, retrench, reverence, rictus, ritornello, rock, roll, romp, root out, rule out, salaam, salutation, salute, sandbag, scrape, seine, servility, set apart, set aside, set square, shake, shave, shear, shilling, shingle, shiver, shock, shorten, shrimp, shudder, sinker, sixpence, skip, smile, smile of recognition, snatch, snub, spin, square, squat, stamp out, standing at attention, start, still-fish, stoop, strike off, strip, strip off, stunt, submission, submissiveness, sudden pull, sum up, summarize, supination, surfboard, swag, sway, swing, synopsize, take in, take off, take out, telescope, tenner, threepence, threepenny bit, thrippence, tic, torch, toss, trawl, tremble, tremor, trim, trip, troll, truncate, try square, tunk, tuppence, tweak, twitch, twitter, twopence, undersong, vacillate, vibrate, wag, waggle, wave, waver, weight, whale, wipe out, wobble, wrench, yank, yerk

ROGET THESAURUS

bob

Vehicle

N vehicle, conveyance, carriage, caravan, van, common carrier, wagon, waggon, wain, dray, cart, lorry, truck, tram, cariole, carriole, limber, tumbrel, pontoon, barrow, wheel barrow, hand barrow, perambulator, Bath chair, wheel chair, sedan chair, chaise, palankeen, palanquin, litter, brancard, crate, hurdle, stretcher, ambulance, black Maria, conestoga wagon, conestoga wain, jinrikisha, ricksha, brett, dearborn, dump cart, hack, hackery, jigger, kittereen, mailstate, manomotor, rig, rockaway, prairie schooner, shay, sloven, team, tonga, wheel, hobbyhorse, go-cart, cycle, bicycle, bike, two-wheeler, tricycle, velocipede, quadricycle, equipage, turn-out, coach, chariot, phaeton, break, mail phaeton, wagonette, drag, curricle, tilbury, whisky, landau, barouche, victoria, brougham, clarence, calash, caleche, britzka, araba, kibitka, berlin, sulky, desobligeant, sociable, vis-a-vis, dormeuse, jaunting car, outside car, dandi, doolie, dooly, munchil, palki, roller skates, skate, runabout, ski, tonjon, vettura, post chaise, diligence, stage, stage coach, mail coach, hackney coach, glass coach, stage wagon, car, omnibus, fly, cabriolet, cab, hansom, shofle, four-wheeler, growler, droshki, drosky, dogcart, trap, whitechapel, buggy, four-in-hand, unicorn, random, tandem, shandredhan, char-a-bancs, motor car, automobile, limousine, car, auto, jalopy, clunker, lemon, flivver, coupe, sedan, two-door sedan, four-door sedan, luxury sedan, wheels, sports car, roadster, gran turismo, jeep, four-wheel drive vehicle, electric car, steamer, golf cart, electric wagon, taxicab, cab, taxicoach, checker cab, yellow cab, station wagon, family car, motorcycle, motor bike, side car, van, minivan, bus, minibus, microbus, truck, wagon, pick-up wagon, pick-up, tractor- trailer, road train, articulated vehicle, racing car, racer, hot rod, stock car, souped-up car, bob, bobsled, bobsleigh, cutter, double ripper, double runner, jumper, sled, sledge, sleigh, toboggan, train, accommodation train, passenger train, express trail, special train, corridor train, parliamentary train, luggage train, freight train, goods train, 1st class train, 2nd class train, 3rd class train, 1st class carriage, 2nd class carriage, 3rd class carriage, 1st class compartment, 2nd class compartment, 3rd class compartment, rolling stock, horse box, cattle truck, baggage car, express car, freight car, parlor car, dining car, Pullman car, sleeping car, sleeper, dome car, surface car, tram car, trolley car, box car, box wagon, horse car, bullet train, shinkansen, cannonball, the Wabash cannonball, lightning express, luggage van, mail, mail car, mail van, shovel, spool, spatula, ladle, hod, hoe, spade, spaddle, loy, spud, pitchfork, post hole digger, tractor, steamshovel, backhoe, fork lift, earth mover, dump truck, bulldozer, grader, caterpillar, trench digger, steamroller, pile driver, crane, wrecking crane.

Depression

VB depress, lower, let down, take down, let down a peg, take down a peg, cast, let drop, let fall, sink, debase, bring low, abase, reduce, detrude, pitch, precipitate, overthrow, overturn, overset, upset, subvert, prostate, level, fell, cast down, take down, throw down, fling down, dash down, pull down, cut down, knock down, hew down, raze, raze to the ground, rase to the ground, trample in the dust, pull about one's ears, sit, sit down, couch, squat, crouch, stoop, bend, bow, courtesy, curtsy, bob, duck, dip, kneel, bend the knee, bow the knee, bend the head, bow the head, cower, recline.

Leap

VB leap, jump up, jump over the moon, hop, spring, bound, vault, ramp, cut capers, trip, skip, dance, caper, buck, buck jump, curvet, caracole, foot it, bob, bounce, flounce, start, frisk, jump about, trip it on the light fantastic toe, trip the light fantastic, dance oneself off one's legs, dance off one's shoes.

Oscillation

VB oscillate, vibrate, librate, alternate, undulate, wave, rock, swing, pulsate, beat, wag, waggle, nod, bob, courtesy, curtsy, tick, play, wamble, wabble, dangle, swag, fluctuate, dance, curvet, reel, quake, quiver, quaver, shake, flicker, wriggle, roll, toss, pitch, flounder, stagger, totter, move up and down, bob up and down, pass and repass, ebb and flow, come and go, vacillate, teeter, brandish, shake, flourish.

Agitation

VB be agitated, shake, tremble, tremble like an aspen leaf, quiver, quaver, quake, shiver, twitter, twire, writhe, toss, shuffle, tumble, stagger, bob, reel, sway, wag, waggle, wriggle, wriggle like an eel, dance, stumble, shamble, flounder, totter, flounce, flop, curvet, prance, cavort, squirm, throb, pulsate, beat, palpitate, go pitapat, flutter, flitter, flicker, bicker, bustle, ferment, effervesce, foam, boil, boil over, bubble up, simmer, toss about, jump about, jump like a parched pea, shake like an aspen leaf, shake to its center, shake to its foundations, be the sport of the winds and waves, reel to and fro like a drunken man, move from post to pillar and from pillar to post, drive from post to pillar and from pillar to post, keep between hawk and buzzard, agitate, shake, convulse, toss, tumble, bandy, wield, brandish, flap, flourish, whisk, jerk, hitch, jolt, jog, joggle, jostle, buffet, hustle, disturb, stir, shake up, churn, jounce, wallop, whip, vellicate.