cob

noun

ˈkäb 

1

[perhaps short for cobswan lead swan] : a male swan

2

a

dialectal, England : a rounded mass, lump, or heap

b

: a mixture of unburned clay and straw used especially for constructing walls of small houses in England

3

: a crudely struck old Spanish coin of irregular shape

—often used before another noun

a cob dollar

4

: corncob sense 1

5

: a stocky short-legged riding horse

Examples of cob in a Sentence

She used a knife to cut the corn from the cob.

We had corn on the cob.

Recent Examples on the Web

For the Giles family of Waukegan, who sold roasted corn on the cob on a stick, seasoning the cob with mayo, cheese, butter and chili pepper creates a handheld treat with no dishes to toss, just organic materials to recycle. —Karie Angell Luc, Chicago Tribune, 25 Aug. 2025

This goes double for recipes that require you to cut the kernels from the cob. —Taylor Tobin, Southern Living, 21 Aug. 2025

The abs shift to corns-on-the-cob, and then to popping popcorn when (in a not unprecedented K-pop scenario) a button flies off of Abby’s shirt, revealing more skin. —Kayti Burt, Time, 21 Aug. 2025

Another excellent side is Elote, which is corn off the cob with Parimgiano Reggiano and Tajin seasoning. —Tom Hyland, Forbes.com, 11 Aug. 2025

Word History

Etymology

Middle English cobbe leader of a group, head; probably akin to cub (young animal), Middle English kebbe old cow or sheep, Dutch dialect kabbe, kebbe piglet

First Known Use

15th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Phrases Containing cob

• corn on the cob
• Welsh cob

Rhymes for cob

• blob
• bob
• daub
• fob
• glob
• gob
• hob
• job
• knob
• lob
• mob
• rob

Kids Definition

cob

noun

ˈkäb 

1

: a male swan

2

: corncob

3

: a short-legged stocky horse