lob

1 of 4

noun (1)

ˈläb 

dialectal British

: a dull heavy person : lout

lob

2 of 4

verb

lobbed; lobbing

transitive verb

1

: to let hang heavily : droop

2

: to throw, hit, or propel easily or in a high arc

3

: to direct (something, such as a question or comment) so as to elicit a response

intransitive verb

1

a

: to move slowly and heavily

b

: to move in an arc

2

: to hit a tennis ball easily in a high arc

lob

3 of 4

noun (2)

: a soft high-arching shot, throw, or kick

lob-

4 of 4

combining form

variants or lobo-

: lobe

lobar

lobotomy

Synonyms of lob

Verb

• throw
• hurl
• toss
• fling

Examples of lob in a Sentence

Verb

She lobbed a throw to the pitcher.

The soldier lobbed a grenade into the bunker.

He lobbed the ball over his opponent's head.

Recent Examples on the Web

Noun

Two days off between games left James looking spry, with lob dunks and dunks on the fast break contributing to his 21 points, 12 assists and 10 rebounds. —Senior Editor, Los Angeles Times, 31 Mar. 2026

Bieber has been committed to her shoulder-length lob and glossy chestnut color since December 2025. —Grace McCarty, Glamour, 23 Mar. 2026

Verb

The ball eventually found its way to Cayden Boozer, Duke’s freshman guard, who tried to lob a pass to an open teammate, only to have a UConn defender deflect it for a steal. —Tim Rohan, NBC news, 30 Mar. 2026

Parts of Tehran lost electrical power after missile strikes on Sunday as Iran and its proxies lobbed attacks at US allies over the weekend and thousands more American military personnel moved into the region. —Patrick Sykes, Fortune, 29 Mar. 2026

Word History

Etymology

Noun (1)

probably of Low German origin; akin to Low German lubbe coarse person

Verb

lob a loosely hanging object

Combining form

lobe

First Known Use

Noun (1)

1533, in the meaning defined above

Verb

1599, in the meaning defined at transitive sense 1

Noun (2)

1883, in the meaning defined above

Rhymes for lob

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

Kids Definition

lob

1 of 2 verb

ˈläb 

lobbed; lobbing

: to send (as a ball) in a high arc by hitting or throwing easily

lob

2 of 2 noun

: a lobbed throw or shot (as in tennis)