hobnob

verb

hob·​nob ˈhäb-ˌnäb 

hobnobbed; hobnobbing

intransitive verb

1

archaic : to drink sociably

2

: to associate familiarly

hobnobber noun

Did you know?

Hobnob and Shakespeare

In William Shakespeare's Twelfth Night, Sir Toby Belch warned Viola (who was disguised as a man) that Sir Andrew wanted to duel. "Hob, nob is his word," said Sir Toby, using "hob, nob" to mean something like "hit or miss." Sir Toby's term is probably an alteration of "hab nab," a phrase that meant "to have or not have, however it may turn out." After Shakespeare's day, hob and nob were used in the phrases "to drink hob or nob" and "to drink hobnob," which meant "to drink alternately to each other." Since "drinking hobnob" was generally done among friends, hobnob came to refer to congenial social interaction.

Synonyms

• associate
• chum
• company
• consociate
• consort
• fraternize
• hang (around or out)
• hook up
• mess around
• pal (around)
• run
• sort
• travel

Examples of hobnob in a Sentence

He loves to hobnob with celebrities.

those two have been hobnobbing together since freshman year

Recent Examples on the Web

There are plenty of contrasts — a child from a poor ‘banlieue’ (district) who hobnobs with presidents; an ambassador for global luxury brands who says his favourite food is a ham baguette — but there is also a central thread. —Dermot Corrigan, The Athletic, 15 July 2024

For his part, Musk has been busy hobnobbing with heads of state and the future president. —Anna Kaufman, USA TODAY, 26 Nov. 2024

Anyone who is—or wants to be—a hot ticket rocks up on the VIP days to see art and to be seen seeing art, before hobnobbing at the evenings’ gallery dinners, parties, and after-parties. —George Nelson, ARTnews.com, 12 Oct. 2024

But for a few years, J.D. Vance joined the world of coastal elites, building a robust venture capitalist career and hobnobbing with some of the wealthiest tech leaders in the Bay Area. —Faith E. Pinho, Los Angeles Times, 17 July 2024

Word History

Etymology

from the obsolete phrase drink hobnob to drink alternately to one another

First Known Use

1813, in the meaning defined at sense 1

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Kids Definition

hobnob

verb

hob·​nob ˈhäb-ˌnäb 

hobnobbed; hobnobbing

: to associate in a friendly manner

hobnobbing with politicians

hobnobber noun