mob

Word family

mob1 /mɒb $ mɑːb/ noun [countableC]

1 CROWDa large noisy crowd, especially one that is angry and violent 〔成群的〕暴民，乱民

mob of

a mob of a few hundred demonstrators

一帮几百人的示威者

They were immediately surrounded by the mob.

他们立刻被那帮暴民包围了。

The leadership had been criticized for giving in to mob rule (=when a mob controls the situation rather than the government or the law).

领导层被批评屈服于暴民统治。

► see thesaurus at group

2 informalGROUP OF PEOPLE a group of people of the same type 同类的一群人 SYN gang

mob of

The usual mob of teenagers were standing on the corner.

又是那帮青少年站在拐角的地方。

the heavy mob British EnglishBrE (=group of strong violent men) 那帮暴徒

What happens if they send the heavy mob round to find him?

如果他们派那帮打手去找他怎么办？

3. the Mob SCCSSOthe mafia (=a powerful organization of criminals) 黑手党

Examples from the Corpus

the Mob• Many of them were, with reason, frightened of the Shahs desperate attempt to find scapegoats to appease the mobs.• The Headmaster was having difficulty in controlling the mob.• Finding the prisoners gone, the mob began to search for an object on which to vent its anger.• With added momentum, the mob turned its vengeance on the black populace.• Wuhan was in an uproar when they arrived, its streets nearly impossible because of the mobs.• They were part of the mob who begged for candy and advertised their sisters to the GIs.• Their car had hardly turned the corner when the mob arrived and smashed the house to pieces.• As if He'd have any time for us with the mob of Holy Joes He's got to see to.

4. the mob old useSSPOOR an insulting expression meaning all the poorest and least educated people in society 乌合之众，贱民〔侮辱性说法〕

5. mob of sheep/cattle AusETA a large group of sheep or cattle 一大群羊/牛

Examples from the Corpus

mob• A mob of fans caused millions of pounds worth of damage in the area surrounding the stadium.• A mob of reporters surrounded the quarterback.• In two recent incidents, police fired at mobs of unruly protesters.• This made the local mob angry.• My first reaction was to scan the angry opposition mob for shotguns, pistols, slingshots, and M-80s.• On the northwest corner of South and Catherine streets, a small mob had formed again.• No one in the mob was arrested.• It was Shawn Ogg, with the rest of the mob behind him.• The mob set fire to cars and buildings.

mob rule• Unless the growing spirit of the movement could be harnessed coherently, mob rule would replace Unionist minority rule.• Now Bork proposes that mob rule be substituted for the authority of the nine justices.

the heavy mob• The regulars and the heavy mob from Fleet Street arrived and we just managed to catch the last train to Cambridge.• He would come back and find the heavy mob were selling Tombstone as holiday homes.

mob2 verb (mobbed, mobbing) [transitiveT]

1 AROUND/ROUNDif people mob a famous person, they rush to get close to them and form a crowd around them 团团围住〔名人等〕

Fans ran onto the pitch and mobbed the batsman.

球迷冲上球场围住了那位击球手。

2. if a group of birds or animals mob another bird or animal, they all attack it 〔鸟群或兽群〕围攻，成群袭击

Examples from the Corpus

mob• When we went to Disney World last spring, it was mobbed.• The star was mobbed at the airport by photographers and reporters.• During a recent visit he was mobbed by autograph hunters.• The poor bewildered creature was being mobbed by rooks.• Stores all over Paris were mobbed Friday, with huge crowds massing outside stores even before opening time.• Vancouverites have been mobbing his new public library.• Chimpanzees have been observed to indulge in mobbing in certain unusual cases.• A., Aragon, much like a movie star, was mobbed wherever he went.• The band, who have shot to No. 11 with Drive, say they are sick of being mobbed wherever they go.• And the beach is mobbed with others in the same predicament.

Origin mob1

(1600-1700) Latin mobile vulgus “excitable crowd”, from mobilis; → MOBILE1

mob1 nounmob2 verb

Chinese

Corpus