corncob
corn·cob/ˈkɔɹn.kɑb/noun, verb
corncob is a noun meaning “The central cylindrical core of an ear of corn (maize) on which the kernels are attached in rows” (English Wiktionary, September 2026). It is spelled C-O-R-N-C-O-B and has 2 syllables (corn·cob), and it appears about once in every 14 million words in written English (wordfreq, 2021 data). The plural of corncob is corncobs.
What does corncob mean?
noun
- 1
The central cylindrical core of an ear of corn (maize) on which the kernels are attached in rows.
- 2
informalA yokel.
verb
- 1
To disintegrate by the blades becoming severed from the axis
- 2
USTo defeat (someone) who then refuses to admit defeat.
Distracted cops, rude asteroids and the corncobbing of Andrew Koenig
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
How do you pronounce corncob?
- /ˈkɔːn.kɒb/
- /ˈkɔɹn.kɒb/
- US /ˈkɔɹn.kɑb/
Corncob has 2 syllables, split corn·cob in writing.
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract). Recordings: LL-Q1860_(eng)-Flame,_not_lame-corncob.wav, Wikimedia Commons (author and licence on each file's page).
Forms of corncob
- corncobs plural, present, singular, he/she/it
- corn-cob
- corn
- cob
- corncobbing participle, present
- corncobbed participle, past
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
How common is corncob?
Corncob appears about once in every 14 million words in written English, the 113,022nd most frequent word form in the list.
Source: written frequency: wordfreq 3.1 (a 2021 snapshot of Wikipedia, subtitles, news, books, web text and social media).
Corncob in Spanish, French, German and Portuguese
In the sense core of an ear of corn:
| Language | Words |
|---|---|
| French | rafle |
| German | Maisspindel |
| Portuguese | sabugo, espiga, maçaroca |
| Spanish | mazorca, olote (Méx.), coronta, marlo, panocha, tusa |
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract). Translations are Wiktionary's, by sense; a linked word has its own PlainSpell page.
Where does corncob come from?
From corn + cob. The Internet slang sense emerged from a 2011 absurdist tweet by Weird Twitter personality dril in which a man furiously denies being owned as he transforms into a corncob.
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).