bob
1
7.5
- noun
- /bɑb/
- UK
- Just after dark, fishermen, alone in bateaux, lowered two bobs on lines to the bottom and caught eels for about 4 hours.
- cork bob
- bob in the water
- bob on the sea
Examples
-
The fisherman watched the bob on his line to see if it moved, which would mean a fish had bitten.
-
A bright red bob floated on the water, signaling the location of the fisherman's hook beneath the surface.
-
Then he pushed it over the side, saw it bob in the waves for several minutes, finally sinking out of sight.
Fiction book (2000) -
A small figure bobs in the water about fifty yards in front of them.
Fiction book (1993) -
I watched the bottle bob away, ghostly white on the dark water, and wished he would leave.
Fiction book (1992) -
The orange buoy bobbing on the surface here is only a few feet from our heads.
Academic text (1991) -
Several boats bob peacefully.
Fiction book (1991) -
As they cast their lines, the bobs attached to each line danced gently on the lake's calm surface.
Synonyms
4
3.9
A small float attached to a fishing line to keep bait near the water surface
3
5.8
A small float you attach to a fishing line to show when a fish bites
Small float made of cork attached to a fishing line to show when a fish bites
Idioms
Compounds
How Buoyant
Surface Forms
Etymology
Bob (fishing float) gets its name from the verb bob, which means 'to move up and down'. So the small float is called a bob because it bobs on the water.