Word forms: 3rd person singular presenttense hobnobs, present participle hobnobbing, past tense, past participle hobnobbed
verb
If you disapprove of the way in which someone is spending a lot of time with a group of people, especially rich and powerful people, you can say that he or she is hobnobbingwith them.
[informal, disapproval]
Here there might be opportunities to hobnob with top people. [VERB + with]
[Also VERB]
Synonyms: socialize, mix, associate, hang out [informal] More Synonyms of hobnob
hobnob in British English
(ˈhɒbˌnɒb)
verbWord forms: -nobs, -nobbing or -nobbed(intransitive; often foll bywith)
1.
to socialize or talk informally
2. obsolete
to drink (with)
Word origin
C18: from hob or nob to drink to one another in turns, hence, to be familiar, ultimately from Old Englishhabban to have + nabban not to have
hobnob in American English
(ˈhɑbˌnɑb)
adverb
1. Rare
at random
verb intransitiveWord forms: ˈhobˌnobbed or ˈhobˌnobbing
2. Rare
to drink together
3.
to be on close terms (with someone); associate in a familiar way
noun
4. Rare
a friendly chat
Word origin
earlier habnab, lit., to have and not have < ME habben, to have + nabben (< ne habben), not to have, esp. with reference to alternation in drinking
Examples of 'hobnob' in a sentence
hobnob
People can drink and hobnob during the show.
Times, Sunday Times (2010)
(verb)
Definition
to socialize or talk informally
an opportunity to hobnob with the company's president
Synonyms
socialize
They no longer socialized as they used to.
mix
He mixes with people younger than himself.
associate
They found out they'd been associating with a criminal.
hang out (informal)
mingle
Guests ate and mingled.
consort
hang about
keep company
fraternize
Executives fraternized with the personnel of other banks.
Additional synonyms
in the sense of associate
Definition
to mix socially
They found out they'd been associating with a criminal.
Synonyms
socialize,
mix,
hang (informal, US),
accompany,
hang out (informal),
run around (informal),
mingle,
be friends,
befriend,
consort,
hang about,
hobnob,
fraternize
in the sense of fraternize
Definition
to associate on friendly terms
Executives fraternized with the personnel of other banks.