dob in

verb

To betray (someone) by informing on them.

“I can't believe you dobbed her in.”

Meanings

verbdob in (third-person singular simple present dobs in, present participle dobbing in, simple past and past participle dobbed in)

present singular third person dobs in · participle present dobbing in · participle past dobbed in · past dobbed in

  1. slangtransitiveTo betray (someone) by informing on them.

    I can't believe you dobbed her in.

    1 more example

    1998, Supreme Court of Victoria, Council of Law Reporting in Victoria, Victorian Reports, Volume 4, page 372, The deceased “dobbed” him in about drugs to police on two occasions. This resulted in police seizing some of his drugs. She “dobbed” him in because he would not give her amphetamines. He may have told people that she “dobbed” him in.

  2. AustraliaslangtransitiveTo contribute (something).

    We all dobbed in for a gift when he retired.

    2 more examples

    He′d never take payment in cash for tracking, but when they dobbed in for presentations such as the fridge he accepted them shyly, abashedly,[…].

    1968, Louise Elizabeth Rorabacher, Aliens in Their Land: The Aborigine in the Australian Short Story, page 80

    The miners had all dobbed in to buy a few bottles of beer which they left in the creek overnight to cool.

    1976, Margaret Paice, Colour in the Creek, page 53
  3. AustraliaslangTo nominate a person, often in their absence, for an unpleasant task.

    I arrived just after the meeting had started and found myself dobbed in to take the minutes.

    2 more examples

    1977, University of British Columbia, Canadian Literature, Issues 74-77, page 108, Writing reviews reminds me of the time I got dobbed in to be the judge at the Poochera sheep dog trials. It′s easy they said, sinking beers in the shade of the lean-to, just watch the dog.

    Those who moved into organisational roles sometimes did it unwittingly, even unwillingly, as they were ‘dobbed’ in for tasks, succeeded and so it went on.

    2001, Kerreen M. Reiger, Sheila Kitzinger, Our Bodies, Our Babies: The Forgotten Women's Movement, page 153

Synonyms & antonyms

Also see

Translations

French balancer
  • balancerto betray someone by informing on them
Polish wsypywać, wsypać
  • wsypywaćto betray someone by informing on them
  • wsypaćto betray someone by informing on them
  • wydawaćto betray someone by informing on them
  • wydaćto betray someone by informing on them
  • kablowaćto betray someone by informing on them
  • nakablowaćto betray someone by informing on them
  • zakablowaćto betray someone by informing on them
  • podkablowywaćto betray someone by informing on them
  • podkablowaćto betray someone by informing on them
  • donosićto betray someone by informing on them
  • donieśćto betray someone by informing on them
Russian стуча́ть, доноси́ть
  • стуча́ть (stučátʹ)to betray someone by informing on them
  • доноси́ть (donosítʹ)to betray someone by informing on them
Cite this entry
APA

dob in. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 4, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/dob%20in

MLA

“dob in.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/dob%20in. Accessed November 4, 2026.

Chicago

WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “dob in,” accessed November 4, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/dob%20in.

Source: dob in on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.