rob

[ rob ]
See synonyms for rob on Thesaurus.com
verb (used with object),robbed, rob·bing.
  1. to take something from (someone) by unlawful force or threat of violence; steal from.

  2. to deprive (someone) of some right or something legally due: They robbed her of her inheritance.

  1. to plunder or rifle (a house, shop, etc.).

  2. to deprive of something unjustly or injuriously: The team was robbed of a home run hitter when the umpire called it a foul ball. The shock robbed him of his speech.

  3. Mining. to remove ore or coal from (a pillar).

verb (used without object),robbed, rob·bing.
  1. to commit or practice robbery.

Idioms about rob

  1. rob Peter to pay Paul, to take something from one person or thing to pay one's debt or hypothetical debt to another, as to sacrifice one's health by overworking.

Origin of rob

1
First recorded in 1175–1225; Middle English robben, from Old French robber, from Germanic; compare Old High German roubōn.See reave1

synonym study For rob

1. Rob, rifle, sack refer to seizing possessions that belong to others. Rob is the general word for taking possessions by unlawful force or violence: to rob a bank, a house, a train. A term with a more restricted meaning is rifle, to make a thorough search for what is valuable or worthwhile, usually within a small space: to rifle a safe. On the other hand, sack is a term for robbery on a huge scale during war; it suggests destruction accompanying pillage, and often includes the indiscriminate massacre of civilians: to sack a town or district.

Other words for rob

Other words from rob

  • un·robbed, adjective

Words that may be confused with rob

Other definitions for Rob (2 of 2)

Rob
[ rob ]

noun
  1. a male given name, form of Robert.

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2024

How to use rob in a sentence

British Dictionary definitions for rob

rob

/ (rɒb) /


verbrobs, robbing or robbed
  1. (tr) to take something from (someone) illegally, as by force or threat of violence

  2. to plunder (a house, shop, etc)

  1. (tr) to deprive unjustly: to be robbed of an opportunity

Origin of rob

1
C13: from Old French rober, of Germanic origin; compare Old High German roubōn to rob

Derived forms of rob

  • robber, noun

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012