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:
“It’s just not fair is it,” said Laura Roberts, who unsuccessfully attempted to nab tickets during their initial release.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 4, 2026
The Police Department has cracked down on speeding and street racing in recent years using drones and other technology to nab offenders, Oldoerp said.
From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 15, 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
Talents for origami and dog-training and computer-repair and whistling, and dozens of others he’d managed to nab over the years.
From "A Tangle of Knots" by Lisa Graff
Consumer sentiment and the NAB business survey are also due that day, followed by consumer inflation expectations Thursday.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 4, 2026
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
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
However, he reckons that the average analyst forecast was likely around A$2.683 billion, which is about 1% higher than the A$2.639 billion reported by NAB.
From The Wall Street Journal ● May 4, 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
Yet it still nabs some genre gems, often with something conceptually extra, recently including the meta “Magpie Murders” and its sequel, “Moonflower Murders.”
From Los Angeles Times ● Jun. 13, 2025
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
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
The British firm Linklaters nabbed three partners from Paul Weiss as part of a bid to expand in the U.S.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 12, 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
They had a registered letter sent to the P.O. box listed under Miller’s name, then they nabbed Morrison when he went to retrieve it.
From "Killers of the Flower Moon" by David Grann
And he’s turned over every stone to win, including nabbing players fresh out of NFL training camps.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 6, 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
"The win, that's the most important thing," said James, who received a standing ovation when he was subbed out for son Bronny James, seconds after nabbing his 10th rebound.
From Barron's ● Feb. 13, 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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