COB vs. EOD: What Each Means & How to Use Them

When you’re new to the world of business, it seems like you’ll never get to grips with all that jargon. Even simple conversations can get bogged down with strange acronyms. 

In this article, we’ll look at just three examples you might know: EOB, COB, and EOD.

 

 

What is the COB abbreviation meaning? And are EOB and EOD any different?

By the end of this article, you should be able to answer these questions yourself and will, hopefully, understand what a simple phrase like “COB tomorrow” means.

 

So, if you want to get clued in and become a savvy businessperson, capable of keeping up with the best of them, read on! You’ll want to check out what we have to say.

 

 

What Does COB Stand For?

Jargon and specialist lingo can be alienating, but you may be surprised by how straightforward the meaning behind this commonly used acronym really is! So, what is COB?

COB stands for “close of business” and, as you might have guessed, simply refers to the time at which a company closes at the end of a business day.

 

What time is COB, you might wonder? The answer to that question varies between different companies, but, at least in the United States, it’s traditionally 5 pm local time.

Hopefully, now you understand the COB acronym meaning. However, there are other abbreviations we still have to consider that have a similar definition. These are EOD and EOB, and we’ll consider both in the next section.

 

What Does EOD Stand For?

As mentioned above, EOD has a similar meaning to COB and is most often used in a similar context. For example, an employer might ask you to complete a task “by COB” or “by EOD.”

What is EOD? As you may have pieced together already, it stands for “end of day.” While this and “close of business” are often used interchangeably, there is a slight difference between this and the “end of day” meaning.

 

If you and your employer are in different time zones, they will usually use EOD to mean by the end of the business day in their time zone, not yours.

So, what time is EOD? As with COB, it usually refers to 5 pm; unlike COB, it may not refer to 5 pm in your local time, but instead may refer to the time zone of your employer or whoever you’re speaking to. 

 

EOD vs. EOB

EOD and EOB look quite similar, so you might accidentally confuse them now and then. However, the definition of EOB is slightly different, being closer to the COB meaning. Business people commonly use COB and EOB interchangeably. 

EOB stands for “end of business,” a phrase that has the same meaning as “close of business.” In other words, the time when a company closes its doors at the end of the day.

 

What Time is the End of the Day in Business?

As mentioned above, the exact time “end of day” refers to differs between various companies. It also varies between different countries. 

In the U.S., however, people mostly use EOD meaning 5 pm. As well as being the time when companies traditionally close their doors, it’s at this time that New York stock markets tend to shut for the day.

 

Since they help to define U.S. hours, it’s no surprise the EOD definition takes its cue from them.

Once again, remember that when someone uses EOD they usually are referring to 5 pm in their own time, whereas COB refers to the end of the business day in yours.

 

 

COB vs. EOB vs. EOD

As this article has shown, these three acronyms all have similar meanings. Each refers to the end of the business day, which, in the U.S., is usually 5 pm.

The difference lies in whether the speaker is talking about their time zone or yours.

 

The EOD acronym, as well as both COB and EOB, is very useful to know. Just make sure that you are mindful of the differences between these different pieces of jargon.

If you ever find yourself asking, “What does EOD mean, again?” then you can just check back here!

 

Lastly, if in doubt about what your boss means when they use one of these acronyms, just ask them. For example, you might say: “Just double-checking: when is EOD?”

This may be a bit embarrassing, but it’s better than handing in a task late— and you’ll know for next time, too!