an easy return of a tennis ball in a high arc
"The player easily lobbed the ball over his opponent's head to end the point."
the act of propelling something (as a ball or shell etc.) in a high arc
"The goalkeeper managed to lob the ball over the outstretched hands of his opponent into an empty net."
A pass or stroke which arches high into the air.
"The air traffic control tower identified a small aircraft as a lob due to its size and shape."
A lump.
A fish, the European pollock.
Abbreviation of large object.
In plain English: A lob is an object thrown high into the air so it lands softly at your feet instead of bouncing hard off you.
"The referee awarded him two penalty lobs for sending off three players in quick succession."
To throw or hit a ball into the air in a high arch.
"The mason lobbed a sharp flake from the granite countertop to clear away the rough edge."
To cob (chip off unwanted pieces of stone).
In plain English: To lob something is to throw it high and gently so that it lands softly without bouncing too much.
"She lobbed the ball high into the air before catching it again."
Usage: In sports contexts, "lob" is often confused with "hit," but it specifically implies an arcing trajectory intended to clear a defender. When used as a noun, ensure agreement with singular or plural subjects in sentences like "the lob was high."
The word "lob" first appeared in the late 1500s with the meaning "to allow something to dangle or hang." This original sense of letting an object swing freely later evolved into its modern usage.