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

Examples of goby in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

Noun

Due to their abundance and small sizes, these gobies are an important snack for many larger species of reef fishes. —Grrlscientist, Forbes.com, 10 July 2025

And the tidewater gobies did go to a nearby aquarium. —Ari Daniel, Smithsonian Magazine, 1 May 2025

Verb

Expect the unusual In 1997, then-reigning world champion Damon Hill was driving an Arrows—a terrible shed of an F1 car—after being let go by Williams at the end of 1996. —Jonathan M. Gitlin, ArsTechnica, 4 Aug. 2025

After his death in 2009 of an overdose of the anesthetic propofol, Paris and her two brothers – who go by Prince, 28, and Bigi, 23 – went to live with their grandmother, Katherine Jackson. —Anna Kaufman, USA Today, 1 Aug. 2025

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 above

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