nabbed

verb

past tense of nab
1
as in arrested
to take or keep under one's control by authority of law the officer nabbed the purse snatcher before he could escape

Synonyms & Similar Words

Relevance

Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in grabbed
to take physical control or possession of (something) suddenly or forcibly a pickpocket nabbed my wallet

Synonyms & Similar Words

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

Example Sentences

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.
Recent Examples of nabbed Netflix has nabbed the Indigenous feature documentary Ceremony after a SXSW world premiere. — Etan Vlessing, HollywoodReporter, 2 Nov. 2026 Everytime, Josephine, Minotaur, Possible Love, Primetime, Teenage Sex and Death At Camp Miasma and Your Mother Your Mother Your Mother all nabbed three nominations. — Jill Goldsmith, Deadline, 27 Oct. 2026 Farrell won an Emmy and Golden Globe for his lead performance, and the show nabbed several best limited series nominations. — Jordan Moreau, Variety, 21 Oct. 2026 Larry Kramer nabbed an Oscar nomination for his screenplay here, long before his legendary activism, and Glenda Jackson took home the Best Actress trophy — before also blazing a career fearless in politics and artistry. — Juan A. Ramírez, Vulture, 20 Oct. 2026 Reese nabbed a double double as well, with 30 points and 16 points. — Jaden Thompson, Footwear News, 20 Oct. 2026 Then the mob went in and nabbed the books out of the gift shop. — George Saunders, New Yorker, 18 Oct. 2026 That same month, criminals nabbed a $4 million diamond necklace from Vienna’s Museum of Applied Arts (MAK). — Lianne Kolirin, CNN Money, 16 Oct. 2026 Many of the wines that were nabbed are beloved by the wine community the world over, such as Tignanello, one of the first Super Tuscans, a red wine that is blended entirely without white grapes. — Nicole Hoey, Robb Report, 9 Oct. 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for nabbed
  1. arrested
  2. grabbed
  3. seized
  4. caught
  5. apprehended
  6. snatched
  7. captured
Verb
  • In one of the biggest crackdowns on religious activity in recent years, authorities in October 2025 arrested 30 leaders of Zion Church, one of the country’s largest underground church networks, following overnight raids in several cities.
    — ABC News, ABC News, 9 Nov. 2026
  • Kiswani and her supporters have been arrested multiple times at various Within Our Lifetime demonstrations, the New York Times reported.
    — Hudson Crozier, The Washington Examiner, 9 Nov. 2026
Definition of arrested
Verb
  • Grayson Grove grabbed a team-high six boards to go with seven points for the Golden Gophers.
    — CBS News, CBS News, 13 Nov. 2026
  • Doncic, who led the Lakers with 32 points, five assists, five rebounds and three steals, grabbed at his right ankle immediately.
    — Los Angeles Times, Los Angeles Times, 12 Nov. 2026
Definition of grabbed
Verb
  • The groups seized on the recent Nvidia controversy, demanding hearings with now-former CEO Jensen Huang and Commerce Department officials.
    — Ashley Gold, semafor.com, 13 Nov. 2026
  • Borrowers should not assume that collection agencies working with the federal government means their next paycheck or tax refund will automatically be seized.
    — Suzanne Blake, MSNBC Newsweek, 13 Nov. 2026
Definition of seized
Verb
  • The hospital has issued an urgent appeal for humanitarian coordination and a tactical exclusion zone to protect its facility, patients and medical personnel from being mistakenly targeted or caught in the crossfire.
    — Jacqueline Charles, Miami Herald, 12 Nov. 2026
  • Unhoused individuals caught violating the ordinance can be cited, arrested, and jailed.
    — La'Tasha Givens, CBS News, 12 Nov. 2026
Definition of caught
Verb
  • He was apprehended and told he would be released after five minutes.
    — Kareem Chehayeb, Los Angeles Times, 12 Nov. 2026
  • The circumstances of his disappearance and where he was apprehended were not immediately disclosed.
    — Sacbee.com, Sacbee.com, 12 Nov. 2026
Definition of apprehended
Verb
  • And yet, in all three of those games, the Knights were well on their way to a win only to have victory snatched from their grasp.
    — Matt Murschel, The Orlando Sentinel, 5 Nov. 2026
  • Trying to shadow Illinois recruit Bennett Konkey, Reid Williams swooped in and snatched the ball out of the air.
    — Steve Reaven, Chicago Tribune, 5 Nov. 2026
Definition of snatched
Verb
  • Security camera footage captured the children arriving to seek help as gunfire could still be heard in the distance.
    — Arkansas Online, Arkansas Online, 11 Nov. 2026
  • Democrats captured seven Senate seats nationally, a number that could rise to nine with two races yet to be called.
    — David Sivak, The Washington Examiner, 11 Nov. 2026
Definition of captured

Browse Nearby Words

nab
nabbed
nabbing
See all Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Nabbed.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/nabbed. Accessed 14 Nov. 2026.

Copy Citation
Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences

Popular in Grammar & Usage

See More

How to Use 'Who' vs. 'Whom'

31 Useful Rhetorical Devices

More Commonly Misspelled Words

Merriam-Webster’s Great Big List of Words You Love to Hate

'Affect' vs. 'Effect'
See More

Popular in Wordplay

See More

Great Big List of Beautiful and Useless Words, Vol. 5

9 Words That Sound Like Insults But Aren't

The Longest Long Words List

The Words of the Week - Nov. 13

Even More Bird Names that Sound Like Insults (and Sometimes Are)
See More

Popular

See More

How to Use 'Who' vs. 'Whom'

Great Big List of Beautiful and Useless Words, Vol. 5

9 Words That Sound Like Insults But Aren't
See More

Games & Quizzes

See All
Play Quordle: Guess all four words in a limited number of tries. Each of your guesses must be a real 5-letter word.
Quordle Can you solve 4 words at once?
Play Blossom: Solve today's spelling word game by finding as many words as you can using just 7 letters. Longer words score more points.
Blossom Pick the best words!
Play Missing Letter: a crossword with a twist. Each of the 25 puzzle words start with a different letter of the alphabet. Which letter is missing?
The Missing Letter A daily crossword with a twist
speech-bubble-untangle
Simplify The Convoluted Expression Quiz A quiz that’s as “uncomplicated as a round de...
See All