nab
verb (used with object)
to arrest or capture.
nab
1 American
[nab]
/ næb /
verb (used with object)
Informal.
nabbed,
nabbing
-
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
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.
Retailers use facial recognition technology to more easily nab shoplifters.
From Los Angeles Times • Apr. 28, 2026
Plus, how the war is making U.S. stocks look a lot more attractive, and why now might be the best time to nab a cheap EV.
From The Wall Street Journal • Mar. 23, 2026
Her constituents think it's her seat, but she admits: "It's only my seat because I'm there early enough to nab it."
From BBC • Mar. 22, 2026
Some corporate acquisitions dubbed “acquihires” are aimed primarily at talent, such as when Meta Platforms paid $14 billion for a stake in Scale AI to nab founder Alexandr Wang.
From The Wall Street Journal • Feb. 10, 2026
“It seems to me there’s nothing to do except wait for the break that will nab Joe Mondragon outside the framework of irrigation rights and that damn beanfield.”
From "The Milagro Beanfield War" by John Nichols
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.
