rob

verb

ˈräb 

robbed; robbing

transitive verb

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)

(2)

: to take the contents of (a receptacle)

c

: to take away as loot : steal

rob jewelry

2

a

: to deprive of something due, expected, or desired

b

: to withhold unjustly or injuriously

intransitive verb

: to commit robbery

robber noun

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

It is still in use though not as common as other senses.

then robbed $100 after the clerk fled

—Springfield (Massachusetts) Morning Union

Synonyms

• burglarize
• burgle
• knock off
• knock over
• rip off
• steal (from)
• take off [slang]

Examples of rob in a Sentence

Someone tried to rob me.

The cashier was robbed at gunpoint.

Recent Examples on the Web

After another decade of delinquency—burglary, bank fraud, robbing cars—he’d joined a Catholic commune. —Luke Mogelson, The New Yorker, 8 Apr. 2024

Cesari, who made posts on Instagram trying to recruit others to join the ring, also allegedly robbed a railroad car full of beer at gunpoint in Queens, New York, last April, prosecutors claim. —Aimee Picchi, CBS News, 5 Apr. 2024

Eight long episodes whose artful slowness rob suspense from what is, after all, supposed to be a thriller demand a more profound resolution. —Judy Berman, TIME, 4 Apr. 2024

The heist comes less than two years after one of the largest jewel thefts in the country’s history, when a Brinks truck in Southern California was robbed of as much as $100 million in jewels and other valuables – in a mere 27 minutes. —Emily Palmer, Peoplemag, 4 Apr. 2024

How a Mesa mom's idea to keep babies cool in the summer won big on 'Shark Tank' Big parcel in north Scottsdale's Silverleaf will go to highest bidder Phoenix police officer 'ambushed,' shot by group trying to rob vehicle, officials say What grocery stores are open on Easter? —Laura Daniella Sepulveda, The Arizona Republic, 2 Apr. 2024

The new action film follows an undercover DEA agent and his partner in El Paso, Texas, on a game of cat and mouse with a group of thieves who just happen to be their rebellious teenagers robbing from a dangerous cartel and using their parents’ tactics and top-secret intel to succeed. —Etan Vlessing, The Hollywood Reporter, 1 Apr. 2024

The mob laid waste to about 35 blocks within 16 hours, arresting thousands of Black residents, while robbing, beating and killing others. —Omar Jimenez, CNN, 1 Apr. 2024

On April 12, 1979, her father, who was attending a convention in New Orleans, was walking with a colleague back to his hotel from the French Quarter when two men tried to rob them. —Alex Williams, New York Times, 27 Mar. 2024

Word History

Etymology

Middle English robben, from Anglo-French rober, of Germanic origin; akin to Old High German roubōn to rob — more at reave

First Known Use

13th century, in the meaning defined at transitive sense 1a(1)

Phrases Containing rob

• rob Peter to pay Paul
• rob someone blind
• rob the cradle

Kids Definition

rob

verb

ˈräb 

robbed; robbing

1

a

: to take something away from a person or place in secrecy or by force, threat, or trickery

b

: to take away as loot : steal

2

: to keep from getting something due, expected, or desired

robber noun