/ bɒb; NAmE bɑːb/ verb , noun
■ verb ( -bb- )
1.
bob (sth) (up and down) to move or make sth move quickly up and down, especially in water :
[ v ]
Tiny boats bobbed up and down in the harbour.
[ vn ]
She bobbed her head nervously.
2.
[ vn ] to cut sb's hair so that it is the same length all the way around
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PHRASAL VERBS
- bob up
■ noun
1.
a quick movement down and up of your head and body :
a bob of the head
2.
a style of a woman's hair in which it is cut the same length all the way around :
She wears her hair in a bob.
3.
( pl. bob ) ( informal ) an old British coin, the shilling , worth 12 old pence :
That'll cost a few bob (= a lot of money) .
4.
= bobsleigh
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IDIOMS
see bit
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WORD ORIGIN
noun sense 1 and verb sense 1 late Middle English : of unknown origin.
verb sense 2 and noun sense 2 noun sense 4 late Middle English (denoting a bunch or cluster): of unknown origin.
noun sense 3 late 18th cent.: of unknown origin.