mob

1 of 2

noun

ˈmäb 

1

: a large and disorderly crowd of people

especially : one bent on riotous or destructive action

2

informal : a large number of people

a mob of shoppers clogged the aisles

a team greeted by mobs of fans

3

: a criminal set : gang

especially, often capitalized : mafia sense 1

a member of the Mob

a mob informant

4

old-fashioned : the common people : masses

5

chiefly Australia : a flock, drove, or herd of animals

mobbish

ˈmä-bish 

adjective

mob

2 of 2

verb

mobbed; mobbing

transitive verb

1

: to crowd about and attack or annoy

mobbed by autograph hunters

a crow mobbed by songbirds

2

: to crowd into or around

customers mob the stores on sale days

Synonyms

Noun

• army
• bike [chiefly Scottish]
• cram
• crowd
• crush
• drove
• flock
• herd
• horde
• host
• legion
• mass
• multitude
• press
• rout
• scrum
• swarm
• throng

Verb

• crowd
• flock
• swarm
• throng

Choose the Right Synonym for mob

crowd, throng, horde, crush, mob mean an assembled multitude.

crowd implies a close gathering and pressing together.

a crowd gathered

throng and horde suggest movement and pushing.

a throng of reporters

a horde of shoppers

crush emphasizes the compactness of the group, the difficulty of individual movement, and the attendant discomfort.

a crush of fans

mob implies a disorderly crowd with the potential for violence.

an angry mob

Examples of mob in a Sentence

Noun

The angry mob smashed store windows and attacked people on the streets.

The police had to be called in to handle the growing mob.

He was jailed for his dealings with the Mob.

Verb

The actor's fans mobbed him wherever he went.

Shoppers mobbed the stores during the holidays.

Recent Examples on the Web

Noun

One of nine Black students who integrated a high school in Arkansas’ capital city of Little Rock in 1957 while a mob of white segregationists yelled threats and insults. —Ryan Hogg, Fortune, 3 Dec. 2024

The Miami resident wasn’t at the Capitol when a mob of Trump supporters stormed the building and interrupted the congressional certification of President Biden’s 2020 electoral victory. —Michael Kunzelman, Los Angeles Times, 2 Dec. 2024

Verb

Across the Bay Bridge at John’s Grill in downtown San Francisco, streets were closed off and already mobbed by early afternoon with folks crowding in for the restaurant’s traditional election day lunch. —Hannah Wiley, Los Angeles Times, 6 Nov. 2024

Brown was mobbed by his teammates, while the Commanders sideline sprinted onto the field in amazement and shock, including head coach Dan Quinn. —Ryan Gaydos, Fox News, 28 Oct. 2024

Word History

Etymology

Noun

Latin mobile vulgus vacillating crowd

First Known Use

Noun

1688, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Verb

1696, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Phrases Containing mob

• flash mob
• lynch mob
• mob boss
• mob scene
• the mob

Kids Definition

mob

1 of 2 noun

ˈmäb 

1

: the common people : masses

2

: a large rowdy crowd : rabble

3

: a criminal gang

mob

2 of 2 verb

mobbed; mobbing

: to crowd about and attack or annoy