gob

¹

[ gob ]

noun

1. a mass or lump.
2. gobs, Informal. a large quantity:

   gobs of money.

3. Also called goaf. Mining. waste or barren material.

gob

²

[ gob ]

noun

, Slang.

1. a sailor, especially a seaman in the U.S. Navy.

gob

³

[ gob ]

noun

, Chiefly British Slang.

1. the mouth.

gob

⁴

[ gob ]

verb (used without object)

, gobbed, gob·bing,

1. gab ¹.

gob

¹

/ ɡɒb /

noun

1. a slang word (esp Brit) for the mouth

gob

²

/ ɡɒb /

noun

1. a lump or chunk, esp of a soft substance
2. informal.
   often plural a great quantity or amount
3. mining
   1. waste material such as clay, shale, etc
   2. a worked-out area in a mine often packed with this
4. a lump of molten glass used to make a piece of glassware
5. informal.
   a globule of spittle or saliva

verb

1. informal.
   intr to spit

gob

³

/ ɡɒb /

noun

1. slang.
   an enlisted ordinary seaman in the US Navy

Word History and Origins

Origin of gob¹

First recorded in 1350–1400; Middle English gobbe, variant of gobet “a mouthful, lump”; gobbet

Origin of gob²

An Americanism dating back to 1910–15; origin uncertain

Origin of gob³

First recorded in 1540–50; perhaps from Gaelic gob “mouth, beak”

Origin of gob⁴

First recorded in 1680–85; gabble ( def )

Word History and Origins

Origin of gob¹

C16: perhaps from Gaelic gob

Origin of gob²

C14: from Old French gobe lump, from gober to gulp down; see gobbet

Origin of gob³

C20: of unknown origin

Example Sentences

The fourth child was forcefully put into a highchair before she put a dummy into their mouth saying: "Put that in your gob and shut up."

From BBC

We didn’t have Gob yet either, and Peter said, “Mitch, you don’t have the brother and you don’t have the mother. This is how pilots go away.”

From Los Angeles Times

But when such a person appears in a context where I'd least expect them – where, by all rights, they don't need to be – that is a real smack to the old gob.

From Salon

The most gob smacking is when the hunky dancer Campbell Caspary walks down a flight of stairs on his hands.

From New York Times

Still, the speed with which Bolduc threw the primary-season iteration of himself under the bus was gob smacking.

From Slate

Related Words

• hunk
• morsel