cob

noun

ˈkäb 

1

[perhaps short for cobswan lead swan] : a male swan

2

a

dialectal, England : a rounded mass, lump, or heap

b

: a mixture of unburned clay and straw used especially for constructing walls of small houses in England

3

: a crudely struck old Spanish coin of irregular shape

—often used before another noun

a cob dollar

4

: corncob sense 1

5

: a stocky short-legged riding horse

Examples of cob in a Sentence

She used a knife to cut the corn from the cob.

We had corn on the cob.

Recent Examples on the Web

Scrape cobs using a spoon or the back of a knife to release the milky liquid. —Sheri Castle, Southern Living, 9 Feb. 2024

Cut the kernels off the corn cobs and place them in a large bowl. —Julia Turshen, Charlotte Observer, 31 Jan. 2024

Remove and discard any extra silk from cutting the corn; reserve cobs. —Kim Sunée, Anchorage Daily News, 10 Aug. 2023

Carefully drop each cob in the boiling water with tongs. —Jill Schildhouse, Southern Living, 8 July 2023

Place scraped cobs and milky liquid, whole milk, and 2 cups water in a large saucepan; bring just to a boil over medium-high. —Sheri Castle, Southern Living, 9 Feb. 2024

Staff are highly trained on material disposal and recycling, along with food composting, and the eco-friendly mind-set makes its way into the dishes too: A spring dessert transformed what would have been discarded corn husks into an ash to top a corn cream made from a stock that used the cobs. —Stephanie Breijo, Los Angeles Times, 6 Feb. 2024

What is Tha Corn Man? Campbell made his name as Tha Corn Man with elotes, Mexican street corn – topped with mayo, cotija cheese, chili powder, and cilantro – and served on the cob or in cups. —The Indianapolis Star, 22 Jan. 2024

The Mexican Street Corn cart on the ballpark’s main concourse serves elote on the cob (Elote Classico) or off the cob (Especial). —Pam Kragen, San Diego Union-Tribune, 29 Dec. 2023

Word History

Etymology

Middle English cobbe leader of a group, head; probably akin to cub (young animal), Middle English kebbe old cow or sheep, Dutch dialect kabbe, kebbe piglet

First Known Use

15th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Phrases Containing cob

• Welsh cob
• corn on the cob

Kids Definition

cob

noun

ˈkäb 

1

: a male swan

2

: corncob

3

: a short-legged stocky horse