nab

verb

ˈnab 

nabbed; nabbing

transitive verb

1

: to catch or seize in arrest : apprehend

2

: to seize suddenly

Synonyms

• apprehend
• arrest
• bust [slang]
• collar
• nail
• nick [British slang]
• pick up
• pinch
• pull in
• restrain
• run in
• seize

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

Sandoval-Lopez was nabbed Saturday in Passaic, sources told WNBC. —Joseph Wilkinson, New York Daily News, 15 June 2025

That lack of turnover means that there are fewer opportunities for entry level workers to nab a role. —Eleanor Pringle, Fortune, 12 June 2025

The men’s basketball team bounced back from a campaign of winless conference play to finish 22-12 overall and 10-8 in the Southeastern Conference during the 2024-25 campaign, nabbing a No. 6 seed in the NCAA Tournament. —Andy Theobald, Kansas City Star, 9 June 2025

Jeremy Allen White, Ebon Moss-Bachrach, and Christopher Storer all repeated their victories from the year before, while Liza Colon-Zayas nabbed her first win in a Supporting Actress upset. —Joe Reid, Vulture, 7 June 2025

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