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

New items include a smash burger with bacon, cheese and thousand island dressing on a pretzel bun, a three cheese sandwich and roasted tomato soup, a turkey, bacon and Swiss cheese sandwich and a cob salad with habanero pork belly. —Carlos Rico, San Diego Union-Tribune, 8 May 2026

Each cob is wrapped individually in foil for ultimate flavor. —Mary Shannon Wells, Southern Living, 8 May 2026

The launch of the guacamole coincides with a brand refresh for Tostitos, whose packaging recently underwent a modernized redesign that features nods to corn kernels and cobs tucked into the graphics. —Christopher Edwards, PEOPLE, 2 May 2026

Complete with fresh onion, peppers, and lots of corn off the cob, this tangy blue-ribbon relish is an undeniable winner. —Andrea Beck, Better Homes & Gardens, 1 May 2026

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