A high, arcing shot hit over an opponent's head, commonly used in tennis when the opponent is at the net. The ball travels in a high trajectory to land deep in the court.
From Middle English 'lobbe' meaning something that hangs loosely or heavily. The tennis usage emerged in the 1880s, describing the ball's heavy, arcing flight path.
The lob is tennis's ultimate chess move - it forces net players to make a split-second decision: retreat and give up court position, or attempt a risky overhead smash while moving backward!
Complete word intelligence in one call. Free tier — 50 lookups/day.