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Hobnob and Shakespeare
In William Shakespeare's Twelfth Night, Sir Toby Belch warned Viola (who was disguised as a man) that Sir Andrew wanted to duel. "Hob, nob is his word," said Sir Toby, using "hob, nob" to mean something like "hit or miss." Sir Toby's term is probably an alteration of "hab nab," a phrase that meant "to have or not have, however it may turn out." After Shakespeare's day, hob and nob were used in the phrases "to drink hob or nob" and "to drink hobnob," which meant "to drink alternately to each other." Since "drinking hobnob" was generally done among friends, hobnob came to refer to congenial social interaction.
Examples of hobnob in a Sentence
Rachel Marsden, Hartford Courant, 16 July 2025
Rivera was flush with all the currents of Modernism, gargantuan talent, career success, and stories of hobnobbing with fellow legends of the day while barnstorming around Europe.
—Chadd Scott, Forbes.com, 15 Apr. 2025
Though Fat Joe hobnobbed with some of the biggest names in politics, including then-Vice President Kamala Harris, there was at least one brush with scandal back in 2010.
—Tatiana Siegel, Variety, 19 June 2025
Men with long braids who were dressed in traditional Chinese attire hobnobbed inside a building on Clay Street that was decked out in bunting and American flags.
—Michael Luo, New Yorker, 20 May 2025
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Cite this Entry
“Hobnob.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/hobnob. Accessed 21 Aug. 2025.
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hobnob
verb
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