# dob in

Source: https://englishreference.com/word/dob-in
Updated: 2026-08-27

## Senses

### 1. to inform on someone

phrasal verb · CEFR C1 · Informal · British English · Dialect

to tell someone in authority, like a teacher or the police, that another person has done something wrong.

For teachers: to inform against or betray someone to an authority figure. The verb is transitive and takes a direct object.

- He was angry because his younger brother dobbed him in for breaking the window.
- The suspect was eventually caught after a neighbor decided to dob him in to the local police following the televised appeal.

Usage: Always takes a direct object, which usually sits between 'dob' and 'in'.

Teaching tip: This is very common in Australian and British English but is rarely used or understood in American English.

### 2. to nominate for a task

phrasal verb · CEFR C1 · Informal · Dialect

to name someone for a job or task that they probably do not want to do.

For teachers: to nominate someone for an unpleasant or unwanted task, often in their absence. Transitive use.

- I didn't want to be the team leader, but my friend dobbed me in during the meeting.
- She realized she had been dobbed in to organize the office holiday party when she saw her name on the official memo.

Usage: Commonly used when the person being nominated is not present to defend themselves.

Teaching tip: Primarily Australian in this specific sense of unwanted nomination.

### 3. to contribute money

phrasal verb · CEFR C2 · Informal · Dialect

to give a small amount of money toward a shared cost.

For teachers: to contribute a sum of money to a collective fund or for a specific purpose. Transitive use.

- We all dobbed in ten dollars to buy a birthday gift for our manager.
- The local community members dobbed in whatever they could afford to help repair the damaged youth center after the storm.

Usage: Often used with a specific currency amount as the object.

Teaching tip: This sense is almost exclusively Australian and is becoming less common among younger speakers.

## Examples

- He dobbed me in to the teacher for cheating.
- I can't believe you dobbed me in to the boss for being ten minutes late this morning.
- The investigation stalled because none of the witnesses were willing to dob in their neighbors, fearing social isolation or direct retaliation from the local gang.

## Usage notes

- Teaching tip: this is a culturally specific term common in Australia and the UK; contrast it with the more neutral 'report' or the American 'snitch on'.

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