mobbed

mobbed — noun

1. a large group of people who are angry or excited and likely to become violent or

1.nounB1
Definition

a large group of people who are angry or excited and likely to become violent or cause trouble

Example

An angry mob gathered outside the town hall, shouting and waving banners.

collocation: angry mob + gathered + location

The police arrived quickly to control the mob before anyone got hurt.

Common collocations
  • angry mob
  • mob violence
  • mob rule
  • mob mentality
  • a mob of protesters
Synonyms
  • crowd

    neutral; a large number of people without the implication of anger

  • throng

    more literary, suggests a tightly packed group

  • rabble

    strongly negative, suggests a rude or violent lower-class crowd

Grammar Patterns

a mob + of + plural noun

Usage Note

Often used with adjectives like 'angry,' 'violent,' or 'unruly.' The phrase 'mob rule' describes a situation where a crowd takes control instead of the law.

Common Mistakes

A mob of customers waited in line for the sale.
A crowd of customers waited in line for the sale.
'mob' suggests anger or disorder, not ordinary waiting.

2. a set of people that know one another well and regularly spend leisure time toge

2.nounB1
Definition

a set of people that know one another well and regularly spend leisure time together

Example

Ayana met up with her mob of college friends at the usual café.

informal register: someone's mob

Sven and his mob go surfing every Saturday morning.

Common collocations
  • my mob
  • someone's mob
  • the whole mob
Synonyms
  • gang

    also informal; can have a slightly tougher or more mischievous tone than 'mob'

  • crew

    informal; often used for a work team or a close-knit group of friends

  • circle

    more neutral; refers to the social network of a person

Grammar Patterns

someone's mob

Usage Note

Mainly used in informal British and Australian English to refer to one's usual group of friends or workmates. In this sense, 'mob' has a friendly, positive tone — very different from the angry-crowd sense.

Common Mistakes

My mob of students finished the project early.
My group of students finished the project early.
'mob' for friends is informal and implies personal closeness, not a formal group.

3. a secret organisation of criminals who work together, especially one involved in

3.nounB2
Definition

a secret organisation of criminals who work together, especially one involved in activities such as illegal gambling, drug trafficking, and murder

Example

The Mob controlled most of the illegal gambling in the city for decades.

the Mob = organised crime

Manuela's grandfather was a lawyer who helped convict several mob bosses.

collocation: mob boss

Common collocations
  • mob boss
  • mob hit
  • mobster
  • organised crime mob
  • the Mob
Synonyms
  • gang

    more general; can refer to a street gang or any criminal group

  • syndicate

    suggests a highly organised, business-like criminal network

  • cartel

    specifically used for drug-trafficking organisations, often international

Grammar Patterns

the Mob

Usage Note

When capitalised as 'the Mob,' it specifically refers to the Mafia or a similar well-known organised-crime network. In lower case, 'a mob' can refer to any criminal gang.

Common Mistakes

A mob of thieves stole my phone on the train.
A group of thieves / a gang of thieves stole my phone on the train.
'mob' for organised crime implies a structured organisation, not a random group of pickpockets.

mobbed — verb

Word family

Synonym discussion

Sense: noun/1

All five words refer to a large number of people, but they differ sharply in tone. 'Crowd' (the most neutral term) simply describes many people in one place — waiting in line, watching a street performance, or attending a concert. 'Mob' adds anger, disorder, or potential violence: a mob protests, loots, or threatens. 'Throng' is a more literary or formal word for a tightly packed crowd, with no implication of anger. 'Rabble' is strongly negative and dismissive, suggesting an uneducated or unruly lower-class gathering. 'Multitude' is very formal and emphasises sheer numbers — often used in religious or historical writing ('a multitude of witnesses'). Example: 'A crowd of fans waited calmly at the gate; a mob of rioters burned cars in the next street; a throng of shoppers filled the market; the rabble shouted insults at the palace gates; a multitude gathered to hear the speech on the hill.'

crowd ↗mob ↗throng ↗rabblemultitude ↗

Common collocations

Nouns

  • mob boss
  • mob hit
  • mob violence
  • mob mentality
  • mob rule

Phrases

  • angry mob
  • organised crime mob
  • the Mob
  • my mob

Prepositions

  • mob of
  • mobbed by
  • mobbed with

Etymology

LatinEnglish

The word 'mob' is a shortened form of the Latin phrase 'mobile vulgus,' meaning 'fickle crowd' or 'movable common people.' In the 1600s, English speakers began using 'mob' as a slang abbreviation for the general populace, and by the 1700s it had taken on the modern meaning of a disorderly or criminal crowd. The verb sense developed in the 1800s, and the specific animal-behaviour sense emerged in the 1900s among ornithologists.

First known use

1688

1688, in the meaning defined at sense 1 Verb