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bob 1 of 3

verb (1)

Definition of bobnext
as in to shave
to make (something) shorter or smaller with the use of a cutting instrument bobbed her waist-length hair herself on her 18th birthday

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Antonyms & Near Antonyms

bob

2 of 3

verb (2)

ˈbäb How to pronounce bob (audio)
1
as in to pump
to make short up-and-down movements a family of ducks bobbing on the water

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2
as in to hit
to deliver a blow to (someone or something) usually in a strong vigorous manner he playfully bobbed his brother on the nose to get his attention

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bob

3 of 3

noun

Scottish
as in bouquet
a bunch of flowers the lassie carried only a little bob on her wedding day

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Example Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of bob
Verb
Onstage at this diverse block party of young and old in Malcolm X shirts and backward Jamaican flag hats, Elsesser bobs his head as if lost in thought. — Jeff Weiss, Los Angeles Times, 7 Sep. 2026 There's currently no 100-MW Kraaken bobbing offshore, powering 32,000 homes, at least for now. — New Atlas, 4 Sep. 2026
Noun
With her severe bob and icy demeanor, Miranda chills her underlings to the bone. — Jami Ganz, Entertainment Weekly, 12 Sep. 2026 At the time, Dannielynn was wearing her ash blonde and black hair in a bob with bangs. — Rachel McRady, PEOPLE, 9 Sep. 2026 See All Example Sentences for bob
Recent Examples of Synonyms for bob
  1. shave
  2. pump
  3. hit
  4. bouquet
  5. cut
  6. shake
  7. bang
  8. trim
Verb
  • Colbert gifted Kimmel his Captain America shield, did a sketch-within-an-interview with his son impersonating a Kiwi police officer, and shaved for our amusement.
    — Bethy Squires, Vulture, 18 Sep. 2026
  • Impacts of staff cuts Fort Worth ISD’s Board of Managers voted to enact a sweeping reduction in force to hundreds of positions across the district as part of its restructuring plan and to shave off areas of its budget.
    — Fort Worth Star-Telegram, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 18 Sep. 2026
Definition of shave
Verb
  • Where the water stays The hum of the engines pumping water onto the field echoes across the field.
    — Sean Macaday, Sacbee.com, 20 Sep. 2026
  • Quinten Martinez, pumping gas under a hot South Texas sun, remembers a time when fueling up didn’t require difficult decisions.
    — Steve Peoples, Fortune, 20 Sep. 2026
Definition of pump
Verb
  • The first curveball of the night came when word hit that Young was closing out the night, as opposed to Willie Nelson.
    — Andy Greene, Rolling Stone, 23 Sep. 2026
  • Following a bohemian couple from Istanbul who hit a wall both creatively and personally, this slow-burn drama takes a little too much time to get the ball rolling but evolves into an honest portrait of artists finding their way out of the darkness.
    — Jordan Mintzer, HollywoodReporter, 23 Sep. 2026
Definition of hit
Noun
  • Part of a Lavallette, New Jersey, liquor store was boarded up and a bouquet of flowers was left outside Sunday night, somber reminders of a horrific crash that killed a woman a day earlier.
    — Naveen Dhaliwal, CBS News, 21 Sep. 2026
  • On Sunday, the model stopped by a Brooklyn farmer’s market for an autumnal bouquet—all rich oranges and dusky browns—which coordinated with her fall ’fit.
    — Hannah Jackson, Vogue, 21 Sep. 2026
Definition of bouquet
Verb
  • The burger will drip all over your fries, which are included and cut like pickle chips.
    — Condé Nast, Condé Nast Traveler, 26 Sep. 2026
  • Lamont and lawmakers have set aside $550 million from past state budget surpluses to mitigate federal human service programs cuts.
    — Keith M. Phaneuf, Hartford Courant, 26 Sep. 2026
Definition of cut
Verb
  • The policeman held on to Shorty’s biceps and shook them slightly, both giving the sense of a loving embrace and using his strength to lift Shorty ever so slightly off the ground and clear of the entrance.
    — Anand Giridharadas, New Yorker, 26 Sep. 2026
  • The trailer ends with Taylor-Johnson shaking and looking toward the sky as his transformation into a wolf appears to approach.
    — Lexi Carson, HollywoodReporter, 26 Sep. 2026
Definition of shake
Verb
  • Officers were responding to a house sitter who discovered the damage while checking on loud banging in the home’s rear, police said.
    — Dennis Sullivan, Chicago Tribune, 23 Sep. 2026
  • Both banged off the Tropicana Field catwalk in foul territory, nullifying the catch made on both of them.
    — Chandler Rome, New York Times, 13 Sep. 2026
Definition of bang
Verb
  • Among the various materials that Bentley can use to trim the interior are a new merino wool fabric and a wood finish that’s made from up to 1,000 walnut offcuts glued together, then sliced up to use as a veneer.
    — Jonathan M. Gitlin, ArsTechnica, 23 Sep. 2026
  • On Tuesday, the Dodgers trimmed their magic number to clinch a first-round bye to one.
    — Assistant Sports Editor, Los Angeles Times, 23 Sep. 2026
Definition of trim

Browse Nearby Words

boats
bob
bobbed
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Cite this Entry

“Bob.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/bob. Accessed 28 Sep. 2026.

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