nab
verb (used with object)
to arrest or capture.
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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
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have nabbedperfect
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has nabbedperfect
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am nabbingprogressive
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are nabbingprogressive
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is nabbingprogressive
-
have been nabbingperfect progressive
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has been nabbingperfect progressive
Past
-
nabbedsimple
-
had nabbedperfect
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was nabbingprogressive
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were nabbingprogressive
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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:
Ben's prediction: Palace lost 3-0 to City home and away last season, but I reckon they will nab a goal this time.
From BBC ● Aug. 27, 2026
The number of wealthy Californians scrambling to nab exit options has grown alongside the number of Americans in total, according to the citizenship-by-investment firms.
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 13, 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
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
Would Rollins send someone in his place or lead the crew to nab Bo Yul-Bayur himself?
From "Six of Crows" by Leigh Bardugo
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
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
Still, markets will need to quickly see evidence that the Strait of Hormuz is reopening to traffic if those gains are to be sustained, says Ray Attrill, head of FX strategy at NAB.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Apr. 8, 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
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
TwoStep Therapeutics, a San Carlos, Calif.-based startup developing targeted therapies for solid tumors, nabbed $62.5 million in Series A financing from investors including Insight Partners, Medical Excellence Capital, M Ventures and Pfizer Ventures.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 10, 2026
Justin Sosa, a 41-year-old Stones buff based in Las Vegas, has nabbed these tickets half a dozen times, with seats ranging from “the worst possible” to “a dream come true.”
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 4, 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
“Oh my god, I thought they had already nabbed you!”
From "Anger Is a Gift" by Mark Oshiro
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
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.
