What does globing mean?
Globing means moving from one pub, bar, or comparable drinking venue to another, usually as part of an evening out. It is chiefly associated with British and Irish English and often has an informal, mildly disparaging tone: describing someone's night as globing can suggest that they are visiting numerous establishments and perhaps drinking more than intended. The term can nevertheless be used neutrally for a planned social outing, much as "pub crawl" can be. In conversation, it distinguishes itself from simply staying in one venue by emphasizing movement and repetition. Globing is also sometimes used figuratively for behavior involving repeated changes of location. The word belongs to informal urban and social vocabulary rather than formal writing, and it overlaps with expressions such as pub-crawling and bar-hopping without necessarily carrying precisely the same connotations.
verbGoing from one pub, bar, or similar venue to another, especially as a night out. The term is often informal and can imply drinking as well as moving between venues.
- To go from one pub, bar, or similar venue to another, especially during a night out.
"They spent the evening globing through the city's pubs before heading to a club."
"After work, they were globing around the old town until the pubs began to close."
"The novel describes the students globing from one crowded venue to another."
Globing turns a night out into a moving target: one pub is only the opening stop.
Reviewed by Deb Chak, Editor. AI-assisted content curated by RJS Tech Solutions LLP.
Where does globing come from?
Globing is a modern informal word whose precise origin is not securely documented. Its formation appears to involve the addition of the suffix -ing to glob, with the specialized sense developing from the idea of moving around a number of venues; a direct connection with the ancient Latin word globus, meaning a rounded mass, cannot be assumed with confidence.
Related word forms
How globing is actually used
This is an informal and somewhat British term, also used in Ireland. It is sometimes mildly disparaging because it can suggest a prolonged drinking session rather than a deliberate bar-crawl event. The related form "pub globing" is also used.
Easily confused with globing
Globing is the established British and Irish informal term for going from pub to pub, whereas globbing can refer to doing something in a rounded or globular manner or to searching around without a clear objective.