NABS Synonyms: 90 Similar and Opposite Words

nabs

verb

present tense third-person singular of nab

as in seizes

to take or keep under one's control by authority of law the officer nabbed the purse snatcher before he could escape

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Antonyms & Near Antonyms

as in grabs

to take physical control or possession of (something) suddenly or forcibly a pickpocket nabbed my wallet

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Antonyms & Near Antonyms

Example Sentences

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.

Recent Examples of nabs The new skating game from Undercoders nabs a 4-star rating from our reviewer. — Randy McMullen, Mercury News, 27 Aug. 2026 The 11 Pro Fold nabs $2,249 from your bank account, which is already pricey, but the Z Fold 8 requires an extra $250 for the same configuration. — Kimberly Gedeon, PC Magazine, 16 Aug. 2026 Simultaneously, Lefty nabs her first career appearance on the Billboard Global Excl. — Hugh McIntyre, Forbes.com, 25 July 2026 Dutch team nabs 17 bikes from KC shop. — Eleanor Nash, Kansas City Star, 12 June 2026 Now, DeLuz just wants to make sure Hilton nabs one of those top two spots, especially after intense sparring with fading Republican candidate Riverside County Sheriff Chad Bianco. — Terry Collins, USA Today, 1 June 2026 Tampa Bay passes up on a few top edge rushers here (Miami’s Akheem Mesidor and Auburn’s Keldric Faulk) because of the depth at the position and instead nabs McCoy before a few other corner-needy teams. — Andrew Callahan, Boston Herald, 23 Apr. 2026 Infielder Chris Hacopian barrels a ball, but Jaquae Stewart nabs it right before the warning track. — Caleb Yum, Austin American Statesman, 17 Mar. 2026 When one pilot nabs a speed record, almost instantly another goes up into the clouds to attempt to top them. — Alphonse Pierre, Pitchfork, 13 Mar. 2026

Recent Examples of Synonyms for nabs

Verb

Sid is smart enough to sniff this out, and the show seizes the opportunity to raise the romantic stakes through an adorably British expression of mutual libidinousness.

— Scott Tobias, Vulture, 14 Oct. 2026
That reporting revealed that the state frequently seizes money from legal settlements stemming from medical malpractice, police brutality, workplace injury and other wrongful death lawsuits.

— Ginny Monk, Hartford Courant, 28 Sep. 2026

Definition of seizes

Verb

Nope, the Crimson Tide would most likely be on the outside looking in, while someone else from the SEC grabs their spot in the postseason.

— Trey Wallace OutKick, FOXNews.com, 16 Oct. 2026
The suspect runs inside, grabs rolls of lottery tickets, stuffs them into a bag and runs out.

— Tara Lynch, CBS News, 14 Oct. 2026

Definition of grabs

Verb

Keith arrests our thinking, and cons us into suppressing our critical faculties with the same kind of internalized surveillance that philosopher Michel Foucault broke down to describe a prison’s use of the panopticon in Discipline and Punish.

— Literary Hub, Literary Hub, 19 May 2026
Devlin throws a punch at Stone when the chief arrests him for drunken driving.

— Sandra Dallas, Denver Post, 19 Apr. 2026

Definition of arrests

Verb

In the midst of handing the job over to his son, even as Diego is making a speech about water supplies, hygiene and education, Don Alejandro snatches it back to cheers, clutches his heart and dies.

— Television Critic, Los Angeles Times, 30 June 2026
These picks start at $11 and range from a one-piece swimsuit that snatches your waist to an everyday pair of wide-leg jeans and this summer-friendly tank top.

— Mia Huelsbeck, PEOPLE, 25 June 2026

Definition of snatches

Verb

The Midwest Regional Reception Center detains close to 500 fathers, mothers, spouses, cousins and friends on behalf of ICE.

— Eleanor Nash, Kansas City Star, 18 Aug. 2026
The policy guidance applies to agents under Enforcement and Removal Operations, the branch of ICE that detains and ultimately deports undocumented immigrants.

— Philip Wang, Time, 14 July 2026

Definition of detains

Verb

Video shared by the sheriff’s office captures the deputy confronting Wooten and repeatedly ordering him to take his hands out of his pockets, turn around and get on his knees.

— Stepheny Price, FOXNews.com, 15 Oct. 2026
Root’s climate-tech company, Matter, created Regen, a universal, reusable, and self-cleaning filter for laundry machines that captures up to 97% of microscopic clothing fibers that would otherwise end up in wastewater systems.

— Matt Alderton, Time, 15 Oct. 2026

Definition of captures

Browse Nearby Words

nabobs

nabs

nacreous

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“Nabs.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/nabs. Accessed 20 Oct. 2026.

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Synonyms of nabs

verb

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