nab
verb (used with object)
to arrest or capture.
nab
1 American
[nab]
/ næb /
verb (used with object)
Informal.
-
nabs,
present (3rd person singular)
-
nabbed,
past participle, past
-
nabbing
present participle
-
to arrest or capture.
-
to catch or seize, especially suddenly.
-
to snatch or steal.
NAB
2
American
nab
British
/ næb /
verb
-
to arrest
-
to catch (someone) in wrongdoing
-
to seize suddenly; snatch
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Inflected Forms
Participles
Conjugated Forms
Present
-
nabsimple
-
nabssimple
-
have nabbedperfect
-
has nabbedperfect
-
am nabbingprogressive
-
are nabbingprogressive
-
is nabbingprogressive
-
have been nabbingperfect progressive
-
has been nabbingperfect progressive
Past
-
nabbedsimple
-
had nabbedperfect
-
was nabbingprogressive
-
were nabbingprogressive
-
had been nabbingperfect progressive
Future
Etymology
Origin of nab
1675–85; earlier nap; perhaps < Scandinavian; compare Danish nappe, Norwegian, Swedish nappa to snatch
Explanation
When you nab someone, you catch the person in the act of doing something wrong. A police officer, for example, might say that she loves to nab shoplifters. You nab when you apprehend a bad guy, or when you suddenly grab something: "Hey, you can't just nab a slice of pizza off my plate!" It's most common to use nab when a criminal is caught, as when the FBI nabs a suspected terrorist or an officer nabs a would-be graffiti artist. Nab probably came from an earlier word, nap, "to seize or catch," which is now obsolete except in the word kidnap.
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
See Examples For:
Scott works adjacent to the entertainment industry, so has been able to nab free tickets to Styles shows in the past; she puts her total spend on the star at around $5,000.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 24, 2026
The number of wealthy Californians scrambling to nab exit options has grown alongside the number of Americans in total, according to the citizenship-by-investment firms.
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 13, 2026
But, with six minutes remaining, a moment of Maradona magic settled the final - the forward's superb first-time half-volleyed through ball sent Jorge Burruchaga racing away to nab the winner.
From BBC ● Jul. 17, 2026
Lacaze attributes her toughness to her modest upbringing in Brisbane, Australia, where she was the fourth of five children behind three brothers who tried to nab the food from her plate.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jun. 18, 2026
Would Rollins send someone in his place or lead the crew to nab Bo Yul-Bayur himself?
From "Six of Crows" by Leigh Bardugo
The issue for JPY remains that fundamentals still point to weakness—deeply negative real yields, slow BoJ normalization and continuing JGB purchases—but thin U.S. holiday liquidity raises the tactical risk of intervention, NAB adds.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 3, 2026
MS has an underweight rating on Westpac, NAB and Commonwealth Bank.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jun. 5, 2026
ANZ and NAB are scheduled to report 1H results May 1 and May 4, respectively.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Apr. 16, 2026
Still, markets will need to quickly see evidence that the Strait of Hormuz is reopening to traffic if those gains are to be sustained, says Ray Attrill, head of FX strategy at NAB.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Apr. 8, 2026
Any AB and NAB naturals out there who want to share their regimen?
From "Americanah" by Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie
Plus, JetBlue nabs Spirit slots in New York, and airfares are still rising.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 30, 2026
See also: Palantir’s stock nabs another upgrade, with its valuation now less of a ‘struggle’
From MarketWatch ● Mar. 16, 2026
Erivo has won rave reviews for her reprised role, so if she nabs a best Oscar win come March, and the coveted EGOT, it will be the cherry on the icing on the cake.
From BBC ● Dec. 29, 2025
The Border Patrol, which nabs people who try to sneak in between official crossings, said its arrests along the U.S.-Mexico boundary dropped from nearly 184,000 in April to fewer than 100,000 in June.
From Washington Times ● Jul. 20, 2023
It comes up from underneath the fish with its mouth wide open, soars upward, nabs the fish, and then falls back into the ocean, almost on its side.
From "Shouting at the Rain" by Lynda Mullaly Hunt
Only one man nabbed the plush slippers worn by Heinrich Himmler.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 5, 2026
The cast and crew behind Apple TV's sleeper hit celebrated the supernatural TV comedy's popular first season, which nabbed six wins on Monday and another eight at the Creative Arts Emmys earlier this month.
From BBC ● Sep. 15, 2026
Agents had nabbed the Mexico native while he was on a landscaping job.
From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 3, 2026
Bally’s nabbed one of three New York City casino licenses awarded by the New York State Gaming Commission in December.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 31, 2026
“Was he wearing a collar when you nabbed him? A collar with his name spelled out on it?”
From "Dog Squad" by Chris Grabenstein
Federal prosecutors previously alleged that by quickly nabbing popular early morning tee times almost immediately after they were available to the public, the brothers had “created a monopoly” over Southern California golf courses.
From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 29, 2026
But if they are also the person who makes meetings less painful and teamwork less frustrating, they might have a better chance at nabbing that job.
From MarketWatch ● Aug. 13, 2026
After an indifferent first half, along with the rest of his team, he made a good start to the second half, nabbing two turnovers in quick succession.
From BBC ● Mar. 7, 2026
It found success nabbing enterprise contracts and raised capital at a blistering clip.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Mar. 3, 2026
When Will didn’t answer, Ben helped himself, nabbing a handful of fries from Will’s tray.
From "Nine, Ten: A September 11 Story" by Nora Raleigh Baskin
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