verb
dob
dob
Dob (verb) means to inform on someone; to report their wrongdoing to an authority (chiefly Australian/NZ). Example: “Someone dobbed him in for smoking on school grounds.”
verb
1
To inform on someone; to report their wrongdoing to an authority (chiefly Australian/NZ).
"Alex was concerned that if others thought he had dobbed, things would get even worse for him. Dobbing was the worst thing a student could do."
— Ian Findley, Shared Responsibility: Beating Bullying in Australian Schools (2006)
"Students often claimed that an act of informing was just ‘dobbing as a joke’ and therefore ‘not really dobbing’."
— James Macpherson, The Feral Classroom (1983)
"Someone dobbed him in for smoking on school grounds."
How to use dob
Learner’s notesIn plain EnglishTo tell on someone, snitching them out to a teacher, boss, or other authority.
When to use it
Chiefly Australian and New Zealand slang, usually in the phrase "dob someone in."
Common pairings
dob someone in
dob on someone
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Word forms
- Plural
- dobs
- Third person singular
- dobs
- Past tense
- dobbed
Etymology
Origin uncertain; possibly from an old English dialect verb dobben.
Frequently asked questions
What does “dob” mean?
The word “dob” means to inform on someone; to report their wrongdoing to an authority (chiefly Australian/NZ). In plain terms, to tell on someone, snitching them out to a teacher, boss, or other authority.
How do you pronounce “dob”?
“Dob” is pronounced dob (/dɑb/ in IPA).
How do you use “dob” in a sentence?
Here is “dob” used in a sentence: “Someone dobbed him in for smoking on school grounds.”
What part of speech is “dob”?
“Dob” is a verb.
Where does the word “dob” come from?
The word “dob” comes from Old English. Origin uncertain; possibly from an old English dialect verb dobben.
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