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Glite Dictionary
to dob in

to dob in

1 9.9
To tell the police or a teacher that someone did something wrong
  • phrasal verb
  • UK
translation icon : delatar
  • Yep, I want to dob in Franky Falzoni.

Examples

  • Your ex-girlfriend Cheree dobbed you in.

    Housos vs. Authority (2012)

  • He decided to dob in the shoplifter to the store manager.

  • I can't believe you would dob in your friend for a minor mistake.

  • She was worried someone might dob in the group for planning the protest.

Synonyms

to report
vsto dob in
686 1.6

To tell someone in authority that a person has broken a rule or law

is more informal and carries a local or slang tone
to rat out
vsto dob in
  • Informal
76 8.6

To tell the police or another authority about someone's bad action, betraying their trust

covers informing without necessarily implying a betrayal of trust
to inform
vsto dob in
41 6.8

To secretly tell the police about someone's illegal actions

is more open and not necessarily secretive in tone
to blow the whistle
vsto dob in
37 5.1

To tell the authorities or the public about wrongdoing

is usually private and conversational rather than public disclosure
to tell on
vsto dob in
  • Informal
35 4.4

To report to a person in charge that someone did something wrong so they get in trouble

focuses on informing rather than stressing the resulting punishment
to shop
vsto dob in
  • Informal
12 8.0

To tell the police or a manager that someone did something wrong

is broader, applying to any wrong acts, not only crimes
to tattle on
vsto dob in
  • Informal
5 7.5

To tell a person in charge that someone did something wrong to get them in trouble

is similar but lacks the negative or childish connotation
to dob
vsto dob in
  • Slang
1 9.9

To tell a teacher or adult that someone broke the rules

is the informal dialectal way to say the same action

Antonyms

to protect
∞ 1.0

To keep someone or something safe from harm

to defend
691 2.8

To speak up to support a person or idea when others criticize it

How Betraying

to betray
143 4.6
to dob in
  • UK
1 9.9
to tell on
  • Informal
35 4.4
mention
220 2.5

Surface Forms

dob in infinitive
dobbed in past
dobbed in past participle
dobbing in present participle
dobs in third person singular

Morphology

dob + in

The meaning 'to inform on someone' is directly carried by 'dob' (to inform) while the particle 'in' functions as a typical phrasal-verb marker without introducing an unpredictable sense. This compositional pattern follows common English verb+particle constructions, so a B1 learner who knows both constituents would readily infer the MWE meaning.

Etymology

Dob in may come from Australian English, where dob was a word for someone who named or pointed out a person to the police. That image of a person pointing and telling on someone helps explain why dob in means 'to inform on someone' or report their wrongdoing.