Nab

/næb/ · verb

Meaning

(informal, transitive) To seize, arrest or take into custody (a criminal or fugitive)..

Definitions by Sense

1. (informal, transitive) To seize, arrest or take into custody (a criminal or fugitive).
2. (informal, transitive) To grab or snatch something.
3. (Internet slang, transitive) To steal or copy another user's post.
4. The summit of a hill.
5. The cock of a gunlock.
6. (locksmithing) The keeper, or box into which the lock is shot.

Example Sentences

As I was going out of the door, a fellow detective came hurriedly in. "Nabbed them," cried he.

Their target: a drug kingpin who reportedly keeps millions of dollars in his fortress of a compound. Pope has been working for years to nab this baddie, and sincerely wants to stop his reign of terror,)

At Clayton point and other nabs to the south of Scarborough.

‘I thought I heard my father,’ he gasped, glancing up to the frowning nab above us. ‘You are sure nobody spoke?’

The Toe, or Nab of the Bolt, which rises[…]above the Straight on the Top of the Bolt: The Office of this Nab, is to receive the Bottom of the Bit of the Key, when in turning it about, it shoots the Bolt backward or forwards.

the Bottom of the Bit may fall almost to the Bottom of the Nab , and shoot the Bolt back

Synonyms for nab

Antonyms for nab

Related Words

Word Forms

• nabs
• nabbing
• nabbed
• knab

Usage Notes

Choose a synonym only when it preserves the intended meaning, tone, and grammar of the full sentence.

Practice and Learn More

Frequently Asked Questions