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
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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:
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
The series arrived late in the season, so only its first seven episodes qualify for the 2026 awards cycle, but that was enough for Rhys is nab a nod.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 8, 2026
It provides huge ratings to networks that are generally suffering from viewership declines as traditional media teeters, cord-cutting continues and subscription streaming services nab a growing amount of U.S.
From The Wall Street Journal ● May 8, 2026
But the Fever staff were clearly elated to be able to nab Johnson off the board.
From Los Angeles Times ● Apr. 14, 2026
“I knew they’d nab us one day!” said Dozer.
From "Dog Squad" by Chris Grabenstein
More broadly, they don’t expect Commonwealth, NAB, Westpac or ANZ to provide guidance on earnings, revenue, margins, or loan losses.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 4, 2026
They observe that the average multiple across the big four banks of Commonwealth, Westpac, NAB and ANZ fell to 18.5X 12-month forward earnings by the end of May, down from 19.2X a month earlier.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jun. 2, 2026
Trump’s latest announcement has led to a “very modest reversal of prior asset moves,” says Gavin Friend, senior markets strategist at NAB, in commentary.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Apr. 22, 2026
NAB is the Australian lender most exposed to higher-risk sectors, it says.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Mar. 23, 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
You find him on the official state seal, and if you get nabbed speeding on the freeway, there he is, embroidered on the CHP officer’s uniform patch.
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 13, 2026
The company, which nabbed 111 Emmy nominations this week, has recently tried to boost engagement with low-cost programming such as video podcasts and content previously released on YouTube.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 9, 2026
The show also nabbed five nominations for guest actress in a comedy series for Leslie Bibb, Cherry Jones, Laurie Metcalf, Kaitlin Olson and Lauren Weedman.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 8, 2026
Lockheed Martin LMT -2.39%decrease; down pointing triangle nabbed a $35.35 billion contract from the U.S. government to quadruple production of its high-end Thaad missile-defense systems.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jun. 24, 2026
"All we got to do is get the message to the king without getting nabbed in the act."
From "The Whipping Boy" by Sid Fleischman
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
A man accused of nabbing unreleased music by Beyoncé in a vehicle break-in last summer has pleaded guilty to the theft and has been sentenced to serve time in prison.
From Los Angeles Times ● May 12, 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
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
