Definition

Noun (plural, informal): 1. A large amount or quantity; a lot. This word is used to emphasize a large, often indefinite, number or volume of something, typically physical objects or substances. 2. (British, informal) Lumps or masses of a semi-liquid or viscous substance. This sense refers to small, thick, and often messy amounts of a substance.

Usage and Examples

• Noun (Large amount):
  • He has gobs of money to spend on his new hobby.
  • The project required gobs of time and patience to complete.
  • She inherited gobs of old furniture from her grandparents.
• Noun (Lumps of substance):
  • The child had gobs of peanut butter all over his face.
  • The machine was clogged with gobs of grease and dirt.

Advanced Usage

• The phrase "gobs of" is a common collocation, functioning similarly to "lots of" or "loads of" but with a more informal and emphatic tone.
• It is often used in hyperbolic or exaggerated speech to stress abundance.

Variants and Related Words

• Gob (singular, noun): Can refer to a lump or mass of a substance (e.g., ). In British slang, "gob" also means "mouth."
• Gobby (adjective, chiefly British, informal): Describes someone who talks too much or in a loud, opinionated way.

Synonyms

• Loads
• Lots
• Heaps
• Stacks
• Tons
• Oodles
• Scads (informal)

Antonyms

• Bit
• Little
• Scant amount
• Modicum
• Smidgen

Related Idioms and Phrases

• To have gobs of [something]: To possess a large amount of something.
  • That startup seems to have gobs of investor cash.
• Gobs and gobs of: A reinforced, emphatic form.
  • The buffet had gobs and gobs of delicious food.

Noun

1. a large number or amount
   • made lots of new friends
   • she amassed stacks of newspapers