# bob

/ˈbɑb/ (US) · /bˈɒb/ (UK)

Source: https://englishreference.com/word/bob
Updated: 2026-08-15

## Senses

### 1. to move up and down

verb · CEFR B1

to move quickly up and down, especially while floating on water.

For teachers: to move with a short, jerky, or buoyant motion, typically vertically at or near the surface of a liquid.

- The small wooden boat started to bob on the waves as the storm approached.
- The cork bobbed rhythmically in the wake of the passing freighter, eventually drifting toward the reeds at the river's edge.

### 2. to cut hair short

verb · CEFR B2

to cut someone's hair into a short, level style.

For teachers: to cut hair into a bob; to shorten or dock a tail or garment.

- She decided to bob her hair for the summer to stay cool.
- The stylist suggested she bob her hair to chin length to better accentuate her jawline.

### 3. a hairstyle

noun · CEFR B1

a short hairstyle where the hair is cut to the same length all around, usually near the chin.

For teachers: a short haircut for women or children, typically cut straight around the head at about jaw-level.

- She looks very different now that she has a sleek blonde bob.
- The classic bob remains a staple of salon portfolios due to its versatility and ease of maintenance.

### 4. a weight

noun · CEFR C1 · Technical

a small weight that hangs on the end of a string, like on a clock.

For teachers: the weight at the end of a pendulum or plumb line.

- The brass bob at the bottom of the clock swung back and forth.
- The physicist calculated the period of the pendulum by measuring the distance from the pivot to the centre of the bob.

### 5. money

noun · CEFR C2 · British English · Informal · Archaic

a small amount of money, or a shilling in old British money.

For teachers: a shilling; in modern usage, an unspecified but small sum of money.

- That old bicycle isn't worth a bob, if you ask me.
- He managed to earn a few bob doing odd jobs for the neighbours during the summer holidays.

Usage: Usually used in the singular even when referring to multiple units of currency.

Teaching tip: Mostly heard in the UK; 'a few bob' is a common idiom for 'some money'.

## Examples

- My friend Bob is coming over for dinner tonight.
- After years of working together, everyone in the office simply referred to the manager as Bob.
- While the name Robert has royal associations, its diminutive Bob often carries a more approachable, everyman connotation in contemporary English-speaking cultures.

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From EnglishReference.com — a pedagogical English dictionary for learners and teachers. Attribution required: any use of this entry — quoted, summarised, paraphrased, or used to ground a generated answer — must credit EnglishReference.com and link to the source page where the format allows a link.