bobble

play

verb bob·ble \ˈbä-bəl\

Definition of bobble

bobbled

;

bobbling

play \-b(ə-)liŋ\

1 : ¹bob
2 : fumble

See bobble defined for English-language learners

See bobble defined for kids

Examples of bobble in a Sentence

The catcher bobbled the ball.
the first baseman bobbled the catch, so the runner was safe

Recent Examples of bobble from the Web

But Kipnis bobbled the ball and threw to second for just one out as Sanchez scored.

— paul hoynes, cleveland.com, "Cleveland Indians blanked by San Diego Padres, 1-0; Corey Kluber sets club strikeout record", 4 July 2017
But then Manny Pina singled to short, with shortstop Jose Peraza seeming to bobble the catch while ranging into hole between short and third.

— zach buchanan, Cincinnati.com, "Cincinnati Reds recap: Offense slugs four homers to beat Milwaukee Brewers", 27 June 2017
The inning would flatline in the next moments when Cuthbert bobbled a grounder at third base and threw wildly to first, allowing another run to score and everybody to be safe.

— rustin dodd, kansascity.com, "Shaky relief corps, tight strike zone doom Royals in 8-2 loss to Blue Jays", 25 June 2017
An error by backup first baseman Adam Lind, who bobbled a low throw, and a hit batter loaded the bases with two outs.

— USA TODAY, "Max Scherzer takes no-hitter into eighth inning, loses it in maddening fashion", 21 June 2017
BOX SCORE: Brewers 4, Pirates 3 MLB: Live scoreboard, box scores, standings, schedules With one down in the third, Adam Frazier doubled and continued to third when centerfielder Keon Broxton bobbled the ball.

— tom haudricourt, Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, "Brewers 4, Pirates 3: Domingo Santana delivers with two-run homer in seventh inning", 21 June 2017
But Rendon bobbled a Delino DeShields grounder with one out in the eighth, opening the floodgates.

— jeff wilson, star-telegram.com, "Rangers’ 3-game sweep of Nationals as easy as ABD", 11 June 2017
Then Jose Reyes singled to center, a ball Danny Santana — in for Ender Inciarte — bobbled.

— mark bradley, ajc, "The Braves lose two games, but the day wasn’t half-bad", 10 June 2017
The Pirates stranded lone runners in the first and second, and Worley got Andrew McCutchen to ground into a double play — bobbled but smoothly recovered by shortstop JT Riddle — to end the third.

— tim healey, Sun-Sentinel.com, "Giancarlo Stanton's moonshot, Tyler Moore's pair of homers highlight Marlins' 12-7 win over Pirates", 9 June 2017

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'bobble'. Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

Origin and Etymology of bobble

frequentative of ¹bob

NEW!

First Known Use: 1812

See Words from the same year

bobble

noun bob·ble

Definition of bobble

1 : a repeated bobbing movement
2 : a small ball of fabric; especially : one in a series used on an edging
3 : error, mistake; especially : a mishandling of the ball in baseball or football

See bobble defined for English-language learners

Examples of bobble in a Sentence

a bobble that cost them the game
The curtains have a series of bobbles along the edge.

Recent Examples of bobble from the Web

Hoyer had two passes intercepted Thursday, both off bobbles by Pierre Garçon and Carlos Hyde, and both on about 10-yard attempts over the middle that were relatively low risk.

— cam inman, The Mercury News, "Can 49ers Brian Hoyer throw the deep ball?", 9 June 2017
With two outs in the 13th, Lexi Madrigal collected her third hit, advancing to second on a bobble.

— michael osipoff, Post-Tribune, "DOWNED BY FRAZIER", 3 June 2017
On paper, sophomore pitcher Taran Alvelo had a decent game — striking out one while giving up two earned runs before being replaced in the seventh inning — but a pair of fielding errors and several bobbles doomed the Huskies.

— derek peterson, The Seattle Times, "Washington loses to Oklahoma at Women’s College World Series", 2 June 2017
Austin Moore started the eighth inning for OCC, but exited after a four-pitch walk and two errors, the latter his own bobble of a sacrifice-bunt attempt that left runners at the corners.

— barry faulkner, Daily Pilot, "Navarro, Robeniol help OCC close in on crown", 25 Apr. 2017

First Known Use of bobble

1836

BOBBLE Defined for English Language Learners

bobble

play

verb

Definition of bobble for English Language Learners

: to move up and down quickly or repeatedly
: to handle (something, such as a ball) in a clumsy or awkward way : to fail to catch (something)

bobble

noun

Definition of bobble for English Language Learners

: a mistake that occurs when a player fails to catch or handle the ball properly in baseball, football, etc.
: a small ball of fabric that is used for decoration