nab

verb

ˈnab How to pronounce nab (audio)
nabbed; nabbing
Synonyms of nab

transitive verb

1
: to catch or seize in arrest : apprehend
2
: to seize suddenly

Synonyms of nab

Relevance
See All Synonyms & Antonyms in Thesaurus

Examples of nab in a Sentence

We nabbed seats in the front row of the theater. the officer nabbed the purse snatcher before he could escape
Recent Examples on the Web
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
That same month, criminals nabbed a $4 million diamond necklace from Vienna’s Museum of Applied Arts (MAK). — Lianne Kolirin, CNN Money, 16 Oct. 2026 Becker, who has a propensity for nabbing jump balls, played a key role in the Hoosiers' title run, including his six-catch, 126-yard performance against Ohio State last December. — ABC News, 14 Oct. 2026 Ortega’s look becomes the latest to join the batch of celebrities who nabbed pieces from the spring 2027 runway and brought them onto their promotional tours and red carpets over the last few weeks. — Julia Teti, Footwear News, 14 Oct. 2026 The only other debut album to nab the same honors in the past decade was Chris Stapleton, with Traveller. — Marissa R. Moss, Rolling Stone, 10 Oct. 2026 See All Example Sentences for nab

Word History

Etymology

perhaps alteration of English dialect nap

First Known Use

1686, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Time Traveler
The first known use of nab was in 1686

Rhymes for nab

See All Rhymes for nab

Browse Nearby Words

Naats'ihch'oh National Park Reserve
nab
Nabal
See all Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Nab.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/nab. Accessed 20 Oct. 2026.

Copy Citation

Kids Definition

nab

verb
ˈnab How to pronounce nab (audio)
nabbed; nabbing
1
: to seize and take into custody : arrest
2
: to seize suddenly
especially : steal entry 1 sense 2a
Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences

More from Merriam-Webster

Word of the Day

Listen to the pronunciation of compunction

See Definitions and Examples »

Popular in Grammar & Usage

See More

'Affect' vs. 'Effect'

Merriam-Webster’s Great Big List of Words You Love to Hate

The Exceptions of '-s' and '-es' Plurals

Is it 'nerve-racking' or 'nerve-wracking'?

What's the difference between 'fascism' and 'socialism'?
See More

Popular in Wordplay

See More

16 Food Words Recently Added to the Dictionary

The Real Origin of 'Supercalifragilistic'

9 Words That Sound Like Insults But Aren't

7 Words for Bad Endings and Rough Situations

Did 'orange' the fruit or the color come first?
See More

Popular

See More

'Affect' vs. 'Effect'

16 Food Words Recently Added to the Dictionary

The Real Origin of 'Supercalifragilistic'
See More

Games & Quizzes

See All
Play Quordle: Guess all four words in a limited number of tries. Each of your guesses must be a real 5-letter word.
Quordle Can you solve 4 words at once?
Play Blossom: Solve today's spelling word game by finding as many words as you can using just 7 letters. Longer words score more points.
Blossom Pick the best words!
Play Missing Letter: a crossword with a twist. Each of the 25 puzzle words start with a different letter of the alphabet. Which letter is missing?
The Missing Letter A daily crossword with a twist
artwork of illustrated limes with the text limes and smile with an arrow connecting the two words
Quiz: Spot the Anagram! Scramble these words to find new words with the e...
See All