⚾ A brief fumble 🤲 To fumble 🪀 To bounce up and down

to bobble

1 3.7

To move up and down quickly and lightly many times

verb
/ˈbɑbəl/

: moverse

The tires screamed rubber, but the car merely bobbled.
head bobble

You were like looking over a a small bobbling brook.

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Examples

So you can see that it starts off, it's sort of bobbling along, but it's fairly flat.
They were bobbling like this.

Venom: The Last Dance (2024)
His nerves stuttered, and his head bobbled erratically.

Fiction book (1999)
"Aren't they adorable?" gushed one guest as the two little girls launched a series of bunny hops that made their top hats bobble about.

Fiction book (1993)
Eliot's boom bobbled against his bruised ribs, and he looked up at the clouds filling the sky.

Fiction book (2000)
Lisa nodded, bobbling her little wooden orca earrings.

Fiction book (2002)
Aunt Titi, Senora Milagros, Angel, Rosita, and Laura Providencia collided, bounced, and bobbled.

Fiction book (1997)
The bird bobbles from branch to branch, searching for food.
She watched the puppy bobble around the yard, chasing after its tail.
As the boat rocked on the waves, the passengers bobbled up and down in their seats.

Synonyms

to bounce

vsto bobble

386 1.3

To move quickly away from a surface after hitting it, moving up and down in a springy way

is lighter and quicker in vertical motion rather than strong springing off surfaces

to wiggle

vsto bobble

89 1.0

To move with small, quick movements from side to side or up and down

focuses more on light vertical rise and fall than side to side turns

to jiggle

vsto bobble

46 3.2

To move something in short, quick shaking movements

is more of a quick light rise and fall than tiny shaking

to flutter

vsto bobble

35 3.5

To move quickly and lightly back and forth, like wings or leaves

is a quicker vertical rise and fall rather than delicate flapping movements

to wag

vsto bobble

32 1.4

To move quickly from side to side or up and down again and again

is mainly small quick vertical rises and falls rather than wide turning motions

to bob

vsto bobble

24 2.7

To move up and down quickly in short movements

is a lighter, quicker vertical motion with brief repeated rises and falls

to shimmy

vsto bobble

1 7.4

To shake slightly with quick movements

is a quick small vertical rise and fall rather than a trembling lateral shake

to bob around

vsto bobble

1 3.9

Move up and down gently while floating in water or air

has faster, sharper vertical rises and falls than slow gentle drifting

to bob about

vsto bobble

1 6.1

Move up and down lightly on water, like small boats

denotes quicker vertical rises and falls rather than slow drifting without direction

to boing

vsto bobble

Informal

1 8.9

To move quickly by bouncing often making a spring sound

is a small light rise and fall without loud spring noise or strong force

to flitter

vsto bobble

1 6.9

To move quickly and lightly, like a small bird or moth

is concentrated on quick vertical rises and falls rather than rapid lateral flights

to vacillate

vsto bobble

1 8.4

To move slowly back and forth like a boat or kite

is a quick small rise and fall rather than a slower swaying wave

to joggle

vsto bobble

7.7

To move something lightly and repeatedly so it shakes

is mainly vertical rising and falling rather than mixed directional shaking

Antonyms

to stabilize

75 4.3

To become steady and stop changing

How Bouncy

spring

18 1.3

to bounce

386 1.3

to bobble

1 3.7

to jiggle

46 3.2

to vibrate

91 2.8

Surface Forms

bobble infinitive

bobbed past

bobbed past participle

bobbling present participle

bobbles third person singular

Morphology

bobble = bob (semi-transparent) = bob + le

This is a fairly clear frequentative formation from 'bob', though the spelling and relatively low frequency make it slightly less obvious.

Etymology

The verb bobble comes from bob 'to move up and down' with the idea of small, repeated motion. Think of a toy head that keeps bobbing up and down — it bobbles every time you touch it. So to bobble is to move or bounce quickly and lightly.