rob

[ rob ]

/ rɒb /

|||

SEE MORE SYNONYMS FOR rob ON THESAURUS.COM

verb (used with object), robbed, rob·bing.

to take something from (someone) by unlawful force or threat of violence; steal from.

to deprive (someone) of some right or something legally due: They robbed her of her inheritance.

to plunder or rifle (a house, shop, etc.).

to deprive of something unjustly or injuriously: The team was robbed of a home run hitter when the umpire called it a foul ball. The shock robbed him of his speech.

Mining. to remove ore or coal from (a pillar).

verb (used without object), robbed, rob·bing.

to commit or practice robbery.

Nearby words

Idioms

rob Peter to pay Paul, to take something from one person or thing to pay one's debt or hypothetical debt to another, as to sacrifice one's health by overworking.

Origin of rob

1175–1225; Middle English robben < Old French robber < Germanic; compare Old High German roubōn. See reave¹

SYNONYMS FOR rob

1. Rob, rifle, sack refer to seizing possessions that belong to others. Rob is the general word for taking possessions by unlawful force or violence: to rob a bank, a house, a train. A term with a more restricted meaning is rifle, to make a thorough search for what is valuable or worthwhile, usually within a small space: to rifle a safe. On the other hand, sack is a term for robbery on a huge scale during war; it suggests destruction accompanying pillage, and often includes the indiscriminate massacre of civilians: to sack a town or district. 2. defraud, cheat.

SEE MORE SYNONYMS FOR rob ON THESAURUS.COM

Related formsun·robbed, adjective

Can be confusedburglarize mug rip off rob steal (see synonym study at the current entry)

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019

Examples from the Web for robbing

Holsey admitted to killing a police officer after robbing a convenience store.
How the U.S. Justice System Screws Prisoners with Disabilities|Elizabeth Picciuto|December 16, 2014|DAILY BEAST
Brute is the story of Mac and Jesse, two disenfranchised teens who turn to robbing houses as a form of recreation and quick cash.
Nitehawk Shorts Festival: ‘Brute,’ a Twisted Take on Playing in the Dark|Julia Grinberg|November 28, 2014|DAILY BEAST
A 24-hour moratorium on robbing convenience store late shifts.
The Ridiculousness of Father's Day|P. J. O’Rourke|June 15, 2014|DAILY BEAST
Al was robbing the bank so he could afford a sex-change operation for the guy.
Almost Famous: A Father's Day Story|Alex Belth|June 15, 2014|DAILY BEAST

But I intend to rob him again someday, ladies and gentlemen, because robbing Howie is what I do best.
Mel Brooks Is Always Funny and Often Wise in This 1975 Playboy Interview|Alex Belth|February 16, 2014|DAILY BEAST
A constable came up and took me into custody for robbing the turnip field.
The Mysteries of London, v. 1/4|George W. M. Reynolds
Mr. Hamblin, certainly you do not think me capable of robbing the bank?
The Cleverdale Mystery or, The Machine and its Wheels|W. A. Wilkins
They were barbarians: robbing appeared to them easier and more honorable than producing.
The Origin of the Family Private Property and the State|Frederick Engels
Roving bands ravaged the country, plundering the people, holding the forests, and robbing collectors of Crown revenue.
Our Legal Heritage, 5th Ed.|S. A. Reilly
There was no occasion he maintained, for robbing them of an hour of their sleep.
A Soldier's Trial|Charles King

British Dictionary definitions for robbing

rob

/ (rɒb) /

verb robs, robbing or robbed

(tr) to take something from (someone) illegally, as by force or threat of violence

to plunder (a house, shop, etc)

(tr) to deprive unjustlyto be robbed of an opportunity

Derived Formsrobber, noun

Word Origin for rob

C13: from Old French rober, of Germanic origin; compare Old High German roubōn to rob

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Word Origin and History for robbing

rob

late 12c., from Old French rober "rob, steal, pillage, ransack, rape," from West Germanic *rauba "booty" (cf. Old High German roubon "to rob," roub "spoil, plunder;" Old English reafian, source of the reave in bereave), from Proto-Germanic *raubon "to rob," from PIE *reup-, *reub- "to snatch" (see rip (v.)).

Lord, hou schulde God approve þat þou robbe Petur, and gif þis robbere to Poule in þe name of Crist? [Wyclif, c.1380]

To rob the cradle is attested from 1864 in reference to drafting young men in the American Civil War; by 1949 in reference to seductions or romantic relationships with younger persons. Related: Robbed; robbing.