nab

¹ American  

[nab] / næb /

verb (used with object)

Informal.

nabbed, nabbing

1. to arrest or capture.

2. to catch or seize, especially suddenly.

3. to snatch or steal.

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NAB ² American  

1. Also N.A.B. National Association of Broadcasters.

2. New American Bible.

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nab British  

/ næb /

verb

1. to arrest

2. to catch (someone) in wrongdoing

3. to seize suddenly; snatch

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Other Word Forms

• nabber noun

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

But the Fever staff were clearly elated to be able to nab Johnson off the board.

From Los Angeles Times • Apr. 14, 2026

The undercover officers donned masks depicting Captain America, Batman and Jason Voorhees from Friday the 13th, among others, to nab a pair in the act, Brazil's Civil Police said.

From BBC • Feb. 14, 2026

Join membership clubs to nab the best hotel or group tour deal.

From MarketWatch • Jan. 15, 2026

Amazon Web Services on Tuesday unveiled a host of new artificial intelligence tools and features designed to help companies nab more value from generative AI.

From The Wall Street Journal • Dec. 2, 2025

“Probably a big school of mackerel. If I were looking for bait today, that would be great, but we want to nab bigger stuff.”

From "Shouting at the Rain" by Lynda Mullaly Hunt