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

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

Gibson saved one match point with a lob, but missed on a backhand on the second one and Brough won 6-1, 3-6, 9-7. —Matthew Futterman, New York Times, 6 Sep. 2025

If Johnson can add reliable lob feeds in secondary actions, Denver’s half-court offense will become even more dangerous. —Joel Rush, Forbes.com, 2 Sep. 2025

Verb

Facing a fourth-down sequence, quarterback Jareth Staine lobbed a pass over the top to Isaiah Rogers, who scampered to paydirt for a 24-yard touchdown reception to give the Golden Eagles an immediate 6-0 advantage. —Brendan Connelly, Boston Herald, 7 Sep. 2025

But this summer that deal unraveled, with both sides lobbing accusations of bad faith and questionable financing. —Benjamin Svetkey, HollywoodReporter, 3 Sep. 2025

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)

1508, in the meaning defined above

Verb

1599, in the meaning defined at transitive sense 1

Noun (2)

1851, 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)