mob

See also: MOB, Mob, and -mob

English

Pronunciation

• enPR: mŏb, IPA^(key): /mɒb/
• enPR: mŏb, IPA^(key): /mɑb/

• Audio (US):

  (file)

• Rhymes: -ɒb

Etymology 1

From Middle English mob, short for mobile, from Latin mōbile (vulgus) (“fickle (crowd)”). The video-gaming sense originates from English mobile, used by Richard Bartle for objects capable of movement in an early MUD.

Noun

mob (plural mobs)

1. A large or disorderly group of people; especially one bent on riotous or destructive action.
   • (Can we date this quote by James Madison and provide title, author’s full name, and other details?), Jr.

     Had every Athenian citizen been a Socrates, every Athenian assembly would still have been a mob.

2. (collective noun) A group of animals such as horses or cattle.
3. The Mafia, or a similar group that engages in organized crime (preceded by the).
   • Template:RQ:RnhrtHpwd Bat

     The Bat—they called him the Bat. […]. He'd never been in stir, the bulls had never mugged him, he didn't run with a mob, he played a lone hand, and fenced his stuff so that even the fence couldn't swear he knew his face.

   • 1986, Paul Chadwick, Concrete: Under the Desert Stars, Dark Horse Books

     What if it is a mob killing? They can’t hurt me, but …

4. (video games) A non-player character, especially one that exists to be fought or killed to further the progression of the story or game.
   • 2002, "Wolfie", Re: Whoa - massive changes due in next patch (on newsgroup alt.games.everquest)

     You can't win with small, balanced groups. You have to zerg the mob with a high number of players.

5. (archaic) The lower classes of a community; the rabble.
   • (Can we date this quote by Joseph Addison and provide title, author’s full name, and other details?)

     A cluster of mob were making themselves merry with their betters.

6. (Australian Aboriginal) A cohesive group of people.
   • 2011 March 10, Allan Clarke, W.A. through Noongar eyes

     There’s nothing like local knowledge and after thousands of years living here the Noongar mob understand this land better than anyone, so it makes sense for them to tap into the lucrative tourism industry.

7. A flock of emus.

Synonyms

• (mafia): mafia, Mafia

Derived terms

• flash mob
• King Mob
• lynch mob
• meal mob
• mobber
• mobbish
• mobbism
• mobbist
• mob-handed
• moblike
• mobmobile
• mobocracy
• mob rule
• mobster
• vote mob

 

Translations

unruly group of people

• Albanian: turmë (sq) f
• Chinese:

  Mandarin: 暴民 (zh) (bàomín), 烏合之眾／乌合之众 (zh) (wūhézhīzhòng), 乌合之众 (zh) (wūhézhlzhòng)

• Czech: dav (cs) m
• Dutch: menigte (nl) f, massa (nl) c
• Finnish: lauma (fi), väkijoukko (fi)
• French: troupeau (fr) m, cohue (fr) f, foule (fr) f
• Galician: gandaiada f, chusma (gl) f, tropa f, turba (gl) f
• Georgian: ბრბო (brbo)
• German: Pöbel (de) m
• Greek: όχλος (el) m (óchlos), σκυλολόι (el) n (skylolói) (colloquial)
• (deprecated template usage) {{trans-mid}}
• Hebrew: המון (he) m (hamón)
• Hungarian: csőcselék (hu)
• Ido: turbacho
• Italian: folla (it) f, teppaglia f, accozzaglia (it) f, schiera (it) f, stuolo (it) m, branco (it) m, fiumana (it) f, torma (it) f
• Japanese: 暴徒 (ぼうと, bōto)
• Latin: popellus m, turba (la)
• Portuguese: multidão (pt), turba (pt) f
• Russian: толпа́ (ru) f (tolpá), сброд (ru) m (sbrod), ша́йка (ru) f (šájka) (gang), ба́нда (ru) f (bánda) (gang)
• Scottish Gaelic: gràisg f
• Spanish: turba (es)
• Swedish: mobb (sv) c
• Turkish: ayaktakımı (tr)

group of animals

• Czech: stádo (cs) n
• Dutch: kudde (nl) c
• Finnish: lauma (fi)
• Galician: rabaño (gl) m, magote m, tagallo m, grea (gl) f, benza f, armentío (gl) m, mancoalla f, beceira f, avenza f
• German: Herde (de) f
• Greek: όχλος (el) m (óchlos)
• Italian: branco (it) m
• (deprecated template usage) {{trans-mid}}
• Japanese: 群れ (ja) (むれ, mure)
• Maori: māpu
• Russian: ста́до (ru) n (stádo)
• Spanish: rebaño (es) m, ganado (es) m
• Volapük: (kangaroos) kangurem, (horses) jevodem, (cattle) bubem

the lower classes of a community

• Catalan: xusma (ca) f, xurma (ca) f
• Czech: chátra (cs) f
• Dutch: ^{(please verify)} gepeupel (nl)
• Esperanto: popolamaso
• Galician: xentualla f, xentalla f, gandallada f, chouma f, gafullada f, gafualla f, cazualla f, morralla f, gurrufalla f, zurrumalla f, colimalla f
• (deprecated template usage) {{trans-mid}}
• Greek:

  Ancient: συρφετός m (surphetós)

• Latin: popellus m
• Portuguese: gentalha (pt) f
• Russian: чернь (ru) f (černʹ)
• Spanish: chusma (es) f, gleba f, gentuza (es) f, bahorrina (es) f

mafia — see mafia

The translations below need to be checked and inserted above into the appropriate translation tables. See instructions at Wiktionary:Entry layout § Translations.

Translations to be checked

• Arabic: ^{(please verify)} مجموعَة من الناس الخارجين عن السيطرَة
• French: ^{(please verify)} foule (fr) f
• (deprecated template usage) {{trans-mid}}
• Hebrew: ^{(please verify)} ערב רב (eirev rav)
• Scots: ^{(please verify)} clanjamphry

Verb

1. (transitive) To crowd around (someone), sometimes with hostility.

   The fans mobbed a well-dressed couple who resembled their idols.

   • 2017 June 26, Alexis Petridis, “Glastonbury 2017 verdict: Radiohead, Foo Fighters, Lorde, Stormzy and more”, in the Guardian‎^[1]:

     Politicians have been turning up to Glastonbury for years, but this year the leader of the opposition was among the most hotly anticipated attractions: when he arrived on site, his Land Rover was mobbed by fans.

2. (transitive) To crowd into or around a place.

   The shoppers mobbed the store on the first day of the sale.

Translations

to crowd around a person

• Dutch: omgeven (nl)
• Finnish: piirittää (fi)
• (deprecated template usage) {{trans-mid}}
• Greek: στριμώχνω (el) (strimóchno)
• Spanish: rodear (es), amontonarse (es) alrededor (es) de

to crowd into or around something

• Finnish: tunkea (fi), tungeksia
• (deprecated template usage) {{trans-mid}}
• Maori: popō, mui, tāmuimui

Etymology 2

Alteration of mab.

Noun

mob (plural mobs)

1. (obsolete) A promiscuous woman; a harlot or wench; a prostitute. [17th-18th c.]
2. A mob cap.

   (Can we find and add a quotation of Goldsmith to this entry?)

Derived terms

• mob cap

Verb

1. (transitive) To wrap up in, or cover with, a cowl.

Etymology 3

Abbreviation of mobile phone.

Noun

mob (plural mobs)

1. mobile phone

Usage notes

• This is most often used in signwriting to match with the other three-letter abbreviations tel (“telephone”) and fax (“facsimile”).

Further reading

• Template:projectlink

Anagrams

• BMO, BOM, BoM, MBO, OMB

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Danish

Verb

mob

1. (deprecated template usage) imperative of mobbe

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French

Etymology

Abbreviated form of mobylette.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /mɔb/

Noun

mob f (plural mobs)

1. (colloquial) scooter, moped

Further reading

• “mob”, in Trésor de la langue française informatisé [Digitized Treasury of the French Language], 2012.

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Volapük

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /mob/

Noun

mob (nominative plural mobs)

1. suggestion

Declension

declension of mob

	singular	plural
nominative	mob	mobs
genitive	moba	mobas
dative	mobe	mobes
accusative	mobi	mobis
vocative 1	o mob!	o mobs!
predicative 2	mobu	mobus

• ¹ status as a case is disputed
• ² in later, non-classical Volapük only

Derived terms

• mobön

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White Hmong

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /mɒ˥/

Etymology

From Proto-Hmong-Mien *ʔmun (“illness, pain”). Cognate with Iu Mien mun.

Verb

mob

1. to be ill/sick; to hurt; to be unwell

References

• Ernest E. Heimbach, White Hmong - English Dictionary (1979, SEAP Publications)