I. mob 1 /mɒb $ mɑːb/ BrE AmE noun [countable]
[ Date: 1600-1700 ; Language: Latin ; Origin: mobile vulgus 'excitable crowd' , from mobilis ; ⇨ ↑ mobile 1 ]
1 . a large noisy crowd, especially one that is angry and violent
mob of
a mob of a few hundred demonstrators
They were immediately surrounded by the mob.
The leadership had been criticized for giving in to mob rule (=when a mob controls the situation rather than the government or the law) .
2 . informal a group of people of the same type SYN gang
mob of
The usual mob of teenagers were standing on the corner.
the heavy mob British English (=group of strong violent men)
What happens if they send the heavy mob round to find him?
3 . the Mob the ↑ mafia (=a powerful organization of criminals)
4 . the mob old use an insulting expression meaning all the poorest and least educated people in society
5 . mob of sheep/cattle Australian English a large group of sheep or cattle
II. mob 2 BrE AmE verb ( past tense and past participle mobbed , present participle mobbing ) [transitive]
1 . if people mob a famous person, they rush to get close to them and form a crowd around them:
Fans ran onto the pitch and mobbed the batsman.
2 . if a group of birds or animals mob another bird or animal, they all attack it