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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
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
Their latest outing about a lonely young space enthusiast hobnobbing with alien galaxy leaders sounds intriguing and, per Pixar’s standards, heartwarming.
—Randy Myers, Mercury News, 17 May 2025
Spruill is not only Kelce’s speed trainer, but a friend who has attended many of his games at Arrowhead Stadium in K.C., and even hobnobbed with Kelce’s famous girlfriend, Taylor Swift.
—Madeleine Marr, Miami Herald, 16 Apr. 2025
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Cite this Entry
“Hobnob.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/hobnob. Accessed 18 Jul. 2025.
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hobnob
verb
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