dob

C2+ Topic:Actions & Processes

US /dɑb/ UK /dɒb/ See IPA manual

Minimal pairs

Sounds like dab /æ/ vs /ɑ/

Meanings

1

verb
chiefly British to inform on or report someone for wrongdoing

He threatened to dob his classmate in to the teacher.

Verb forms

Verb forms are not available for this word yet.

Thesaurus

Synonyms

1 verb · chiefly british to inform... inform report snitch grass tell betray split

Opposites

shield protect cover

Word family

Derived forms dobber

Etymology

British dialectal word of uncertain origin, perhaps an alteration of 'dab' ('to strike lightly') or echoic; the sense 'to inform on' is chiefly British and Australian colloquial.

Topics

Actions & Processes Register & Style

External links

# dob

**Type:** Word
**Level:** C2+
**Part of speech:** verb
**IPA (US):** /dɑb/
**IPA (UK):** /dɒb/

## Meanings
1. chiefly British to inform on or report someone for wrongdoing

## Examples
- He threatened to dob his classmate in to the teacher.

## Synonyms
- inform
- report
- snitch
- grass
- tell
- betray
- split

## Antonyms
- shield
- protect
- cover

## Derived Forms
- dobber

## Etymology
British dialectal word of uncertain origin, perhaps an alteration of 'dab' ('to strike lightly') or echoic; the sense 'to inform on' is chiefly British and Australian colloquial.

## AI Etymology
Dob has this etymological history: British dialectal word of uncertain origin, perhaps an alteration of 'dab' ('to strike lightly') or echoic; the sense 'to inform on' is chiefly British and Australian colloquial. As a verb, dob means to chiefly British to inform on or report someone for wrongdoing. The same family is visible in derived forms such as dobber. The wording should be read with that uncertainty intact: the proposed connection is plausible rather than absolute.

## Topics
- Actions & Processes
- Register & Style

markdown

dob