lob

1 of 4

noun (1)

ˈläb 

dialectal British

: a dull heavy person : lout

lob

2 of 4

verb

lobbed; lobbing

transitive verb

1

: to let hang heavily : droop

2

: to throw, hit, or propel easily or in a high arc

3

: to direct (something, such as a question or comment) so as to elicit a response

intransitive verb

1

a

: to move slowly and heavily

b

: to move in an arc

2

: to hit a tennis ball easily in a high arc

lob

3 of 4

noun (2)

: a soft high-arching shot, throw, or kick

lob-

4 of 4

combining form

variants or lobo-

: lobe

lobar

lobotomy

Synonyms

Verb

• cast
• catapult
• chuck
• dash
• fire
• fling
• heave
• hurl
• hurtle
• launch
• loft
• peg
• pelt
• pitch
• sling
• throw
• toss

Examples of lob in a Sentence

Verb

She lobbed a throw to the pitcher.

The soldier lobbed a grenade into the bunker.

He lobbed the ball over his opponent's head.

Recent Examples on the Web

Noun

In more recent years, however, the bob haircut has evolved, and many stylists consider the shoulder-length lob, or a long bob, to fall within the bob category as well. —The Glamour Editors, Glamour, 24 Feb. 2025

Achiuwa then charged past the Bulls’ transition defense, leapt from about a step inside the free-throw line and collected a lob from Brunson for a high-flying alley-oop dunk. —Peter Sblendorio, New York Daily News, 21 Feb. 2025

Verb

Dias makes a mess defending it and Mbappe lobs Ederson to open the scoring. —Liam Tharme, The Athletic, 20 Feb. 2025

The proceedings, which wrapped up in December, periodically grew contentious, with lawyers lobbing insults at each other. —Christy Gutowski, Chicago Tribune, 19 Feb. 2025

Word History

Etymology

Noun (1)

probably of Low German origin; akin to Low German lubbe coarse person

Verb

lob a loosely hanging object

Combining form

lobe

First Known Use

Noun (1)

1508, in the meaning defined above

Verb

1599, in the meaning defined at transitive sense 1

Noun (2)

1851, in the meaning defined above

Rhymes for lob

• blob
• bob
• cob
• daub
• fob
• glob
• gob
• hob
• job
• knob
• mob
• rob

Kids Definition

lob

1 of 2 verb

ˈläb 

lobbed; lobbing

: to send (as a ball) in a high arc by hitting or throwing easily

lob

2 of 2 noun

: a lobbed throw or shot (as in tennis)