bobs

1. 1
   verb

   Third-person singular present tense of bob.

   A red float bobs on the surface whenever a fish nibbles the bait.

   The drummer bobs her head in time with the bass line.

   Note

   A present-tense form that works with or without an object: a float bobs on the water by itself, while a boxer bobs his head to slip a punch. Followed by on and a person, it becomes sexual, so the preposition matters. It can also mean curtsying, tapping lightly, or catching eels with worms strung on thread.

2. 2
   noun

   Plural of bob.

   Short, blunt bobs are back in fashion this spring.

   The clockmaker kept a drawer full of brass pendulum bobs.

   Note

   One regular plural covers very different things: short haircuts, fishing floats, pendulum weights and other round objects swinging on a line, quick up-and-down movements, curtsies, and a group of hesperiid butterflies. Only the surrounding words show which is meant, and the same spelling is also the present-tense verb.

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