nabbed; nabbing

transitive verb

1
: to catch or seize in arrest : apprehend
2
: to seize suddenly

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
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Some top producers and talent were impressed by Weiss’ desire to immediately juice the network’s political bookings, as well as her ability to actually nab a few notable guests, like former secretaries of state Hillary Clinton and Condoleezza Rice. Max Tani, semafor.com, 13 Oct. 2025 Whereas Morvan and Pilatus were never the same afterward, Velez, 58, continued to carve out an impressive career in entertainment, nabbing acting gigs and top 10 songs. Mark Gray, PEOPLE, 11 Oct. 2025 So when the evidence of missing goods arrived, fans who miraculously nabbed the Holy Grail of audio merchandise quickly posted complaints about their missing CDs. Hadley Hitson, Nashville Tennessean, 10 Oct. 2025 Lusnia believes the tablet ended up in the United States after the war because someone took it and either sold it or a soldier nabbed it and brought it home. Michelle Del Rey, USA Today, 10 Oct. 2025 See All Example Sentences for nab

Word History

Etymology

perhaps alteration of English dialect nap

First Known Use

1686, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Time Traveler
The first known use of nab was in 1686

Cite this Entry

“Nab.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/nab. Accessed 15 Oct. 2025.

Kids Definition

nab

verb
nabbed; nabbing
1
: to seize and take into custody : arrest
2
: to seize suddenly
especially : steal entry 1 sense 2a

More from Merriam-Webster on nab

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
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