nab

verb

ˈnab 

nabbed; nabbing

transitive verb

1

: to catch or seize in arrest : apprehend

2

: to seize suddenly

Synonyms of nab

• arrest
• seize
• grab
• apprehend
• detain

Examples of nab in a Sentence

We nabbed seats in the front row of the theater.

the officer nabbed the purse snatcher before he could escape

Recent Examples on the Web

Valet is at your beck and call and switching dinner reservations or nabbing hard-to-get ones are a non-issue. —Devorah Lev-Tov, Condé Nast Traveler, 12 Jan. 2026

The Pitt star took to social media to share his celebration after nabbing awards for Best Performance by an Actor in a Drama Series and Best Television Series — Drama. —Mekishana Pierre, Entertainment Weekly, 12 Jan. 2026

The promotions will come, but young aspirational workers should focus on building their skills over rushing to nab any new snazzy title to update their LinkedIn. —Orianna Rosa Royle, Fortune, 10 Jan. 2026

Continue reading … DIGITAL'S NEWS QUIZ – Where did US forces nab Maduro? —FOXNews.com, 9 Jan. 2026

Word History

Etymology

perhaps alteration of English dialect nap

First Known Use

1686, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Rhymes for nab

• ab
• cab
• crab
• dab
• drab
• fab
• gab
• grab
• jab
• lab
• mab
• rab

Kids Definition

nab

verb

ˈnab 

nabbed; nabbing

1

: to seize and take into custody : arrest

2

: to seize suddenly

especially : steal entry 1 sense 2a