lob

1 of 4

noun (1)

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

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
Typically, a lob hits around your shoulders or collarbones. Kaitlyn Yarborough, Southern Living, 18 Mar. 2024 Looming near the rim for a lob was center Adem Bona. Ben Bolch, Los Angeles Times, 14 Mar. 2024 There was a baroque bob for the Goya Awards; a bouncy midi-chop at the Governors Awards; and just before that, a tousled lob. Hannah Coates, Vogue, 5 Mar. 2024 He’s also had two of KU’s most spectacular dunks of the season — one on a breakaway in a victory at Oklahoma State and the other off a lob from Harris in a win at home against Texas. Gary Bedore, Kansas City Star, 5 Mar. 2024 And a flying one-handed dunk on the break on a lob from Miles Byrd, his roommate. Mark Zeigler, San Diego Union-Tribune, 17 Feb. 2024 James foiled a lob at the rim to Chet Holmgren, Reaves harassed MVP candidate Shai Gilgeous-Alexander and Russell kicked off the fourth quarter by poking the ball loose and creating a transition opportunity. Dan Woike, Los Angeles Times, 5 Mar. 2024 Here, Missi converted an easy lob inside after the Baylor guard drew defenders away from the paint. Shreyas Laddha, Kansas City Star, 2 Mar. 2024 His first points came on an alley-oop dunk off a lob pass from Wembanyama. Anthony Chiang, Miami Herald, 17 Feb. 2024
Verb
Sophomore Jamar Thomas got a steal and threw it ahead to Davion Hampton, who caught it on the left side and, without dribbling, took a step, put the ball between his legs and lobbed it to a sprinting Robinson from the right side for a two-hand alley-oop. The Indianapolis Star, 15 Jan. 2024 The court’s conservatives most likely to be skeptical to the former president, like Roberts and Kavanaugh, lobbed relatively friendly questions at Trump’s lawyer, Jonathan Mitchell. Cnn.com Wire Service, The Mercury News, 4 Mar. 2024 The first score came after a free kick, with Karla Nieto lobbing a ball forward for Ovalle. Kevin Baxter, Los Angeles Times, 27 Feb. 2024 Flying high and fast, a Sukhoi fighter-bomber can lob two or more KABs at targets 25 miles away. David Axe, Forbes, 18 Feb. 2024 On third-and-9 from the Chiefs’ 46, Mahomes lobbed a ball deep down the middle to Valdes-Scantling, who caught it flat on his back for a 32-yard gain that iced the game KC kneeled it three times after that to give itself a chance to repeat as Super Bowl champ in two weeks. Jesse Newell, Kansas City Star, 28 Jan. 2024 So far the response has been muted, with just a single anti-ship missile lobbed harmlessly into the Red Sea, far from any passing vessel, a Pentagon official told reporters earlier on Friday. Ronen Bergman, New York Times, 12 Jan. 2024 Sensing an opportunity, the Russian air force is flying more sorties, closer to the front line, lobbing glide-bombs to suppress Ukrainian troops. David Axe, Forbes, 29 Feb. 2024 During a meeting of the state's Intellectual & Developmental Disabilities Task Force, Crouch lobbed sharp criticism at the agency for making the error in the first place and for failing, in her eyes, to adequately address outstanding questions about the rollout of this change. Kayla Dwyer, The Indianapolis Star, 29 Jan. 2024

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'lob.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

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

Time Traveler
The first known use of lob was in 1508

Dictionary Entries Near lob

Cite this Entry

“Lob.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/lob. Accessed 28 Mar. 2024.

Kids Definition

lob

1 of 2 verb
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)

More from Merriam-Webster on lob

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
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