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

Steinbeck noted using “great gobs of information” from Babb’s and Collins’s reports and notes, and from Collins’s subsequent letters.

From Salon

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

This from a team that pays all the gobs and gobs of dollars to its players, and leads the majors with almost 4 million fans year after year.

From Los Angeles Times

But what happens when building one of those options becomes more akin to standing at a roulette table, hour after hour, desperately trying to regain all the gobs of money that have already been squandered?

From Seattle Times

Yet her performance was so realistic that mesmerized audience members jumped up mid-performance, clapping and cheering, and tossed red carnations onstage that Callas touched as if they were gobs of blood.

From New York Times

Related Words

• hunk
• morsel