What does glob mean?
A glob is a small, rounded mass, especially of a liquid or soft substance. The noun is compact and slightly literary or informal, often conveying a clumsy or shapeless lump. As a verb, glob can mean to gather into a rounded mass, but it is especially familiar in the informal sporting sense of defeating an opponent decisively. A sentence such as “a glob of paint on the page” shows its literal use, while sports reporting uses the verb to emphasize an overwhelming result. The word links the small scale of an individual drop with the grand idea of a sphere, because both descend from the ancient Latin word for a ball. That makes glob a useful reminder that precise language can connect an ordinary everyday object with a much larger conceptual tradition.
A small rounded mass or drop, especially of a liquid, paint, mud, or another soft substance.
"She brushed a small glob of gold paint onto the ceramic."
Often slightly literary, old-fashioned, or informal; “blob” is more common in neutral speech.
To form or gather into a rounded mass; informally, to defeat an opponent decisively.
"The team globbed its rivals 4–0 on Sunday."
The sporting sense is informal but established, particularly in match reports and sports commentary.
The regular plural is used for separate small rounded masses.
"Small globs of wax hardened on the paper."
The word for a tiny drop shares its ancient roots with the grand idea of a globe: both come from a Latin word for a ball or sphere.
Reviewed by Deb Chak, Editor. AI-assisted content curated by RJS Tech Solutions LLP.
Where does glob come from?
Glob entered English through French globe, which derives from Latin globus, meaning “ball,” “sphere,” or “globe.” The central idea of a rounded mass underlies both the noun and the meaning “to form into a ball.” Related English forms such as globe, global, globular, and globule continue the same Latin root.
Related word forms
How glob is actually used
The noun is uncommon in neutral everyday speech; “blob” is usually more idiomatic for an amorphous lump, while “drop” is preferable for a small quantity of liquid. The verb is informal, and its sporting sense is especially common in British and American sports reporting.
Easily confused with glob
A glob is a small rounded mass, whereas a globe is the Earth or a spherical model of it.