fob1

[fob] /fɒb/
noun
1.
a small pocket just below the waistline in trousers for a watch, keys, change, etc.
Compare watch pocket.
2.
a short chain or ribbon, usually with a medallion or similar ornament, attached to a watch and worn hanging from a pocket.
3.
the medallion or ornament itself.
Origin
1645-55; origin uncertain; compare German dialect Fuppe pocket

fob2

[fob] /fɒb/
verb (used with object), fobbed, fobbing.
1.
Archaic. to cheat; deceive.
Verb phrases
2.
fob off,
  1. to cheat someone by substituting something spurious or inferior; palm off (often followed by on):
    He tried to fob off an inferior brand on us.
  2. to put (someone) off by deception or trickery:
    She fobbed us off with false promises.
Origin
1350-1400; Middle English fobben; cognate with German foppen to delude; cf. fob1

f.o.b.

Commerce
1.
free on board: without charge to the buyer for goods placed on board a carrier at the point of shipment:
automobiles shipped f.o.b. Detroit.
Also, F.O.B.
Examples from the web for fob
  • It then tried to fob off survivors with quiet payments through a private foundation.
  • Internal zipped pocket and a key fob in a pocket round out this great jacket.
  • All you have done to support your claim is to fob off a bunch of links.
  • The car would lock and unlock automatically if you had the fob in your pocket.
  • One glance at the picture on the left, though, shows that it could easily be used as a key fob.
  • The whole thing can be started up and shut down by remote control, which is built into a car key fob.
  • The ignition key dangles on a wire on the steering column, but the engine won't turn over unless you've used the fob.
  • The key chain-sized fob will flash, vibrate and even sound an alarm if you start to walk away from it.
British Dictionary definitions for fob

fob1

/fɒb/
noun
1.
a chain or ribbon by which a pocket watch is attached to a waistcoat
2.
any ornament hung on such a chain
3.
a small pocket in a man's waistcoat, for holding a watch
4.
a metal or plastic tab on a key ring
Word Origin
C17: probably of Germanic origin; compare German dialect Fuppe pocket

fob2

/fɒb/
verb fobs, fobbing, fobbed
1.
an archaic word for cheat
Word Origin
C15: probably from German foppen to trick

fob3

/fɒb/
noun
1.
(NZ, slang) a Pacific Islander who has newly arrived in New Zealand
Word Origin
C20: from f(resh) o(ff) (the) b(oat)

f.o.b.

abbreviation
1.
free on board
Word Origin and History for fob
n.

1650s, "small pocket for valuables," probably related to Low German fobke "pocket," High German fuppe "pocket," "a dialectal word used in Livonia" [Klein]. Meaning "chain attached to a watch carried in the fob" is from 1885.

v.

"to cheat," late 14c., from obsolete noun fobbe "cheat, trickster" (late 14c.), perhaps from Old French forbe "cheat" [OED]. Alternative etymology holds that the word is perhaps related to German foppen "to jeer at, make a fool of" (see fop); or from German fuppen, einfuppen "to pocket stealthily," which would connect it to fob (n.). To fob (someone) off is first recorded 1590s. Related: Fobbed; fobbing.

Related Abbreviations for fob

FOB

  1. father of the bride
  2. foreign body

f.o.b.

free on board