A glob is a thick, rounded lump of something soft or semi-liquid. When you squeeze toothpaste too hard and a big glob plops onto your toothbrush, that's a glob. When you're mixing cookie dough and notice a glob of butter that hasn't blended in yet, that's a glob too.

The word works especially well for messy, shapeless blobs: a glob of mud on your shoe, a glob of paint that drips from a brush, or a glob of jelly that slides off your spoon. You wouldn't call a perfectly shaped scoop of ice cream a glob, but the melted puddle it becomes on a hot day? That's definitely a glob.

Glob sounds like what it describes: round, soft, and a little bit sloppy. It's one of those satisfying words that just feels right when you say it, especially when you're describing something sticky, gooey, or messy. Scientists might use precise measurements, but when you're describing the amount of ketchup your little brother just squirted onto his plate, glob is often the perfect word.