goby

1 of 2

noun

go·​by ˈgō-bē 

plural gobies also goby

: any of numerous spiny-finned fishes (family Gobiidae) that usually have the pelvic fins united to form a ventral sucking disk

Illustration of goby

go by

2 of 2

verb

went by; gone by; going by; goes by

intransitive verb

: pass sense 3b

as time goes by

transitive verb

1

a

: to be guided or directed by : act in accordance with

going by the rules

went by what we'd been told

b

: to form an opinion from

You can't go by appearances.

2

: to be known by (a name)

goes by her birth name

goes by an alias

3

: to go (somewhere) especially to see someone

I went by your house yesterday.

Examples of goby in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

Noun

Depending on the day, the menu may include fresh marble goby fish from the Mekong River, served with vermicelli and a light soy sauce, or lobster sour soup with lemongrass. —Condé Nast, Condé Nast Traveler, 23 Apr. 2026

Blennies and gobies are tiring to look at, darting every which way above. —Literary Hub, 23 Feb. 2026

Verb

To go by the famous announcers’ school textbook and be letter perfect is to sound like a thousand others. —Dom Amore, Hartford Courant, 6 May 2026

My father, a boy, sat in the back seat with his brothers and Choute—Duchess of Montmoreau, née de Troguindy, a beautiful and aristocratic woman who went by this single childhood nickname. —Literary Hub, 6 May 2026

Word History

Etymology

Noun

Latin gobius gudgeon, from Greek kōbios

First Known Use

Noun

1769, in the meaning defined above

Verb

1508, in the meaning defined at intransitive sense 1a

Kids Definition

goby

noun

go·​by ˈgō-bē 

plural gobies also goby

: any of numerous spiny-finned fishes that often have the pelvic fins united to form a sucking disk