Did you know?
Hobnob and Shakespeare
In William Shakespeare's Twelfth Night, Sir Toby Belch warned Viola (who was disguised as a man) that Sir Andrew wanted to duel. "Hob, nob is his word," said Sir Toby, using "hob, nob" to mean something like "hit or miss." Sir Toby's term is probably an alteration of "hab nab," a phrase that meant "to have or not have, however it may turn out." After Shakespeare's day, hob and nob were used in the phrases "to drink hob or nob" and "to drink hobnob," which meant "to drink alternately to each other." Since "drinking hobnob" was generally done among friends, hobnob came to refer to congenial social interaction.
Synonyms
Examples of hobnob in a Sentence
Adriane Quinlan, Curbed, 30 Jan. 2025
On day one, tech billionaires hobnobbed with lawmakers over crab cakes and ribeyes after watching President Donald Trump’s inauguration from the best seats in the house.
—Riley Beggin, USA TODAY, 25 Jan. 2025
Or, celebrities in designer winter wear hobnobbing on snowy sidewalks, cordoned off from the prying eyes of paparazzi and the general public.
—Brad Japhe, Travel + Leisure, 22 Jan. 2025
Donors will be able to hobnob with incoming Cabinet members and attend a black-tie dinner with Vice President-elect JD Vance, according to a schedule reviewed by CBS News.
—Jennifer Jacobs, CBS News, 10 Jan. 2025
See all Example Sentences for hobnob 
Dictionary Entries Near hobnob
Cite this Entry
“Hobnob.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/hobnob. Accessed 12 Feb. 2025.
Copy CitationKids Definition
hobnob
verb
Share