robbed; robbing
1
a(1)
: to take something away from by force : steal from
(2)
: to take personal property from by violence or threat
b(1)
: to remove valuables without right from (a place)
rob a safe
(2)
: to take the contents of (a receptacle)
rob a hive of honey
c
: to take away as loot : steal
rob jewelry
2
a
: to deprive of something due, expected, or desired
made a great shot but was robbed by the goalie
Illness robbed her of a normal childhood.
b
: to withhold unjustly or injuriously
was robbed of a promotion
: to commit robbery
robber
noun
see also rob Peter to pay Paul
Can rob mean 'to steal'?: Usage Guide
Transitive sense 1c, in which the direct object is the thing stolen, is sometimes considered to be wrong, or perhaps archaic. The sense has been in use since the 13th century and is found in earlier literature.
contrive to rob the honey and subvert the hive
—
John Dryden
John Dryden
It is still in use though not as common as other senses.
then robbed $100 after the clerk fled
—Springfield (Massachusetts) Morning Union
Springfield (Massachusetts) Morning Union
Examples of rob in a Sentence
Someone tried to rob me.
The cashier was robbed at gunpoint.
Recent Examples on the Web
In 1991, Plato was arrested for robbing a video store in Las Vegas.
—Christopher Rudolph, PEOPLE, 29 Dec. 2025
Around 61,000 years ago, the pygmy elephant population crashed, robbing the hobbits of their most critical food source just as the environment began to fail.
—Mrigakshi Dixit, Interesting Engineering, 29 Dec. 2025
The United States Attorney's Office for the District of Colorado said that Castillo-Delgado, Suarez Villegas and Mosquera Serrano robbed the jewelry store in June 2024, taking nearly $4 million worth of jewelry and gold.
—Christa Swanson, CBS News, 27 Dec. 2025
When two bumbling thieves (Joe Pesci and Daniel Stern) attempt to rob his home, Kevin begins an elaborately violent, slapstick battle of wits via booby traps involving a tarantula, paint buckets, and flamethrowers.
—Chris Snellgrove, Entertainment Weekly, 26 Dec. 2025
See All Example Sentences for rob
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
show current usage.
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Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors.
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Christopher Rudolph, PEOPLE, 29 Dec. 2025
Around 61,000 years ago, the pygmy elephant population crashed, robbing the hobbits of their most critical food source just as the environment began to fail.
—Mrigakshi Dixit, Interesting Engineering, 29 Dec. 2025
The United States Attorney's Office for the District of Colorado said that Castillo-Delgado, Suarez Villegas and Mosquera Serrano robbed the jewelry store in June 2024, taking nearly $4 million worth of jewelry and gold.
—Christa Swanson, CBS News, 27 Dec. 2025
When two bumbling thieves (Joe Pesci and Daniel Stern) attempt to rob his home, Kevin begins an elaborately violent, slapstick battle of wits via booby traps involving a tarantula, paint buckets, and flamethrowers.
—Chris Snellgrove, Entertainment Weekly, 26 Dec. 2025
See All Example Sentences for rob
Cite this Entry
“Rob.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/rob. Accessed 31 Dec. 2025.
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