goby

1 of 2

noun

go·​by ˈgō-bē 

plural gobies also goby

: any of numerous spiny-finned fishes (family Gobiidae) that usually have the pelvic fins united to form a ventral sucking disk

Illustration of goby

go by

2 of 2

verb

went by; gone by; going by; goes by

intransitive verb

: pass sense 3b

as time goes by

Examples of goby in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

Noun

Additionally, over 500 tidewater gobies were saved from a lagoon at the base of the creek in a separate effort. —Anton Sorokin, Smithsonian Magazine, 5 Feb. 2025

Even still, this past week’s rainstorms threatened to send loads of sediment down the mountains into the waters where the little gobies live. —Jaclyn Cosgrove, Los Angeles Times, 30 Jan. 2025

Verb

This notion has gone by the wayside because the social contract between home and school is no longer enforced. —Vincent Turley, Hartford Courant, 2 Mar. 2025

At first, Nuala had actually claimed to like this cramped, cluttered space with windows that rattled when buses and trucks went by. —Colm Tóibín, The New Yorker, 2 Mar. 2025

Word History

Etymology

Noun

Latin gobius gudgeon, from Greek kōbios

First Known Use

Noun

1769, in the meaning defined above

Verb

1508, in the meaning defined above

Kids Definition

goby

noun

go·​by ˈgō-bē 

plural gobies also goby

: any of numerous spiny-finned fishes that often have the pelvic fins united to form a sucking disk