dob
To report a person to someone in authority for a wrongdoingTo report a person to someone in authority for a wrongdoing. (For transitive forms see dob in, dob on.)
Meaning
3 senses(Australia, New Zealand, intransitive, slang)To report a person to someone in authority for a wrongdoing. (For transitive forms see dob in, dob on.)
(Northern Ireland, ambitransitive, slang)To play truant.
(humorous, intransitive, sometimes)In the scouting movement, to chant dob to indicate that one will do one's best to follow the scouting laws.
Origin
Uncertain. Possibly from Middle English dobben. Short for do our best. dyb (or dib) and dUncertain. Possibly from Middle English dobben.
Short for do our best. dyb (or dib) and dob were used as abbreviated forms of do your best and do our best in certain Scout chants.
Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0 · source
Forms
dobs, dobbing, dobbed, dobbedPhrasal verbs
2 phrasal verbsWord family
2 related wordsLessons for this word
3 lessons- A1Present simple — Because it is a verb
- A1Past simple, regular verbs — Because of its past form
- A2Present perfect: introduction — Because of its past participle
See also
neighbours in the dictionaryDictionary text adapted from Wiktionary (Wiktionary contributors, CC BY-SA 4.0) and Open English WordNet / Princeton WordNet (CC BY 4.0, WordNet License); shared under CC BY-SA 4.0. Example sentences and recordings are credited where they appear.