mob
See also: MOB, Mob, and -mob
English
Pronunciation
- (Received Pronunciation) enPR: mŏb, IPA(key): /mɒb/
- (General American) enPR: mŏb, IPA(key): /mɑb/
Audio (US) (file) - Rhymes: -ɒb
Etymology 1
From Middle English mob, short for mobile, from Latin mōbile (vulgus) (“fickle (crowd)”). The video-gaming sense originates from English mobile, used by Richard Bartle for objects capable of movement in an early MUD.
Noun
mob (plural mobs)
- A large or disorderly group of people; especially one bent on riotous or destructive action.
- February 13, 1788, James Madison, Jr., Federalist No. 55
- Had every Athenian citizen been a Socrates, every Athenian assembly would still have been a mob.
- See also: Mob (the masses)
- February 13, 1788, James Madison, Jr., Federalist No. 55
- (archaic) The lower classes of a community; the rabble.
- 1715 June 1 (Gregorian calendar), Joseph Addison, “The Free-holder: No. 44. Saturday, May 21. [1715.]”, in The Works of the Right Honourable Joseph Addison, Esq; […], volume IV, London: […] Jacob Tonson, […], published 1721, OCLC 1056445272:
- A cluster of mob, who were making themselves merry with their betters.
- (collective noun) A group of animals such as horses or cattle.
- (collective noun) A group of kangaroos.
- (collective noun) A flock of emus.
- A mafia: a group that engages in organized crime.
- 1920, Mary Roberts Rinehart; Avery Hopwood, chapter I, in The Bat: A Novel from the Play (Dell Book; 241), New York, N.Y.: Dell Publishing Company, OCLC 20230794, page 01:
- The Bat—they called him the Bat. […]. He'd never been in stir, the bulls had never mugged him, he didn't run with a mob, he played a lone hand, and fenced his stuff so that even the fence couldn't swear he knew his face.
- 1986, Paul Chadwick, Concrete: Under the Desert Stars, Dark Horse Books
- What if it is a mob killing? They can’t hurt me, but …
- See also: Mob, Mafia (proper noun senses for specific ones)
- (video games) A non-player character, especially one that exists to be fought or killed to further the progression of the story or game.
- 2002, "Wolfie", Re: Whoa - massive changes due in next patch (on newsgroup alt.games.everquest)
- You can't win with small, balanced groups. You have to zerg the mob with a high number of players.
- 2002, "Wolfie", Re: Whoa - massive changes due in next patch (on newsgroup alt.games.everquest)
- (Australian Aboriginal) A group of Aboriginal people associated with an extended family group, clan group or wider community group, from a particular place or country.[1]
- 2011 March 10, Allan Clarke, W.A. through Noongar eyes
- There’s nothing like local knowledge and after thousands of years living here the Noongar mob understand this land better than anyone, so it makes sense for them to tap into the lucrative tourism industry.
- 2011 March 10, Allan Clarke, W.A. through Noongar eyes
Synonyms
- (mafia): mafia, Mafia
Derived terms
- flash mob
- King Mob
- lynch mob
- meal mob
- mobber
- mobbish
- mobbism
- mobbist
- mob-handed
- moblike
- mobmobile
- mobocracy
- mob rule
- mobster
- vote mob
Translations
unruly group of people
|
group of animals
|
the lower classes of a community
|
mafia — see mafia
- The translations below need to be checked and inserted above into the appropriate translation tables. See instructions at Wiktionary:Entry layout § Translations.
Translations to be checked
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Verb
mob (third-person singular simple present mobs, present participle mobbing, simple past and past participle mobbed)
- (transitive) To crowd around (someone), sometimes with hostility.
- The fans mobbed a well-dressed couple who resembled their idols.
- 2017 June 26, Alexis Petridis, “Glastonbury 2017 verdict: Radiohead, Foo Fighters, Lorde, Stormzy and more”, in the Guardian:
- Politicians have been turning up to Glastonbury for years, but this year the leader of the opposition was among the most hotly anticipated attractions: when he arrived on site, his Land Rover was mobbed by fans.
- (transitive) To crowd into or around a place.
- The shoppers mobbed the store on the first day of the sale.
Translations
to crowd around a person
|
to crowd into or around something
|
Etymology 2
Alteration of mab.
Noun
mob (plural mobs)
- (obsolete) A promiscuous woman; a harlot or wench; a prostitute. [17th–18th c.]
- A mob cap.
- c. 1773-1774, Oliver Goldsmith, letter to Mrs Bunbury
- cover their faces with mobs
- c. 1773-1774, Oliver Goldsmith, letter to Mrs Bunbury
Derived terms
- mob cap
Verb
mob (third-person singular simple present mobs, present participle mobbing, simple past and past participle mobbed)
- (transitive) To wrap up in, or cover with, a cowl.
Etymology 3
Abbreviation of mobile phone.
Noun
mob (plural mobs)
- mobile phone
Usage notes
- This is most often used in signwriting to match with the other three-letter abbreviations tel (“telephone”) and fax (“facsimile”).
Further reading
Mob in the Encyclopædia Britannica (11th edition, 1911)
References
- https://www.deadlystory.com/page/tools/aboriginal-cultural-support-planning/cultural-planning---frequently-asked-questions/what-is-the-difference-between-mob-clan-tribe-language-group
Anagrams
- BMO, BOM, BoM, MBO, OMB
Danish
Verb
mob
- imperative of mobbe
French
Etymology
Clipping of mobylette.
Pronunciation
- IPA(key): /mɔb/
Audio (file)
Noun
mob f (plural mobs)
- (colloquial) scooter, moped
Further reading
- “mob”, in Trésor de la langue française informatisé [Digitized Treasury of the French Language], 2012.
Volapük
Pronunciation
- IPA(key): /mob/
Noun
mob (nominative plural mobs)
- suggestion
Declension
declension of mob
| singular | plural | |
|---|---|---|
| nominative | mob | mobs |
| genitive | moba | mobas |
| dative | mobe | mobes |
| accusative | mobi | mobis |
| vocative 1 | o mob! | o mobs! |
| predicative 2 | mobu | mobus |
- 1 status as a case is disputed
- 2 in later, non-classical Volapük only
Derived terms
- mobön
White Hmong
Etymology
From Proto-Hmong-Mien *ʔmun (“illness, pain”). Cognate with Iu Mien mun.
Pronunciation
- IPA(key): /mɒ˥/
Verb
mob
- to be ill/sick; to hurt; to be unwell
References
- Ernest E. Heimbach, White Hmong - English Dictionary (1979, SEAP Publications)