1
as in arresting
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
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in grabbing
to take physical control or possession of (something) suddenly or forcibly
a pickpocket nabbed my wallet
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of nabbing
There’s Teyana Taylor, nabbing all sorts of awards for her supporting role in One Battle After Another.
—
Paul Tassi, Forbes.com, 16 Jan. 2026
And while Vegas owns a top-five power play, Marner, typically the top unit’s quarterback, has factored into the scoring at the lowest rate of his career — nabbing a point on only 39 percent of the goals.
—Jonas Siegel, New York Times, 14 Jan. 2026
Still, its sales traction was slipping in its second full year on the market, nabbing 16,097 sales by the third quarter of 2025, down 38% from the year before.
—Andrea Guzmán, Austin American Statesman, 14 Jan. 2026
The first step is nabbing one of Middleton’s signature nail colors.
—Bailey Bujnosek, InStyle, 13 Jan. 2026
This was his first time nabbing a Golden Globe nomination.
—Mekishana Pierre, Entertainment Weekly, 13 Jan. 2026
Valet is at your beck and call and switching dinner reservations or nabbing hard-to-get ones are a non-issue.
—Devorah Lev-Tov, Condé Nast Traveler, 12 Jan. 2026
Along the way, Harding had 12 players earn All-GAC honors and win three major conference awards, with Braden Jay earning Offensive Player of the Year honors and Clark Griffin nabbing Defensive Player of the Year accolades.
—Erick Taylor, Arkansas Online, 31 Dec. 2025
Iowa State hires Jimmy Rogers With Sitake off the board, PSU shifted its focus to another program in the Big 12, nabbing Matt Campbell for Iowa State on Friday.
—Jordan Sigler, MSNBC Newsweek, 6 Dec. 2025
Paul Tassi, Forbes.com, 16 Jan. 2026
And while Vegas owns a top-five power play, Marner, typically the top unit’s quarterback, has factored into the scoring at the lowest rate of his career — nabbing a point on only 39 percent of the goals.
—Jonas Siegel, New York Times, 14 Jan. 2026
Still, its sales traction was slipping in its second full year on the market, nabbing 16,097 sales by the third quarter of 2025, down 38% from the year before.
—Andrea Guzmán, Austin American Statesman, 14 Jan. 2026
The first step is nabbing one of Middleton’s signature nail colors.
—Bailey Bujnosek, InStyle, 13 Jan. 2026
This was his first time nabbing a Golden Globe nomination.
—Mekishana Pierre, Entertainment Weekly, 13 Jan. 2026
Valet is at your beck and call and switching dinner reservations or nabbing hard-to-get ones are a non-issue.
—Devorah Lev-Tov, Condé Nast Traveler, 12 Jan. 2026
Along the way, Harding had 12 players earn All-GAC honors and win three major conference awards, with Braden Jay earning Offensive Player of the Year honors and Clark Griffin nabbing Defensive Player of the Year accolades.
—Erick Taylor, Arkansas Online, 31 Dec. 2025
Iowa State hires Jimmy Rogers With Sitake off the board, PSU shifted its focus to another program in the Big 12, nabbing Matt Campbell for Iowa State on Friday.
—Jordan Sigler, MSNBC Newsweek, 6 Dec. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for nabbing
Verb
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In response, Republican lawmakers in December introduced the Safeguarding Homeland Immigration Enforcement from Local Detention (SHIELD) Act, which would prohibit local police from arresting federal agents.—
Alexandra Koch,
FOXNews.com,
13 Jan. 2026
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Police released a video asking for help before arresting McKee in Rockford, Illinois, linking him to a car seen on surveillance video around the murder scene.—
Sara Machi,
CBS News,
12 Jan. 2026
Verb
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Take after the actress by grabbing them in black, or choose from six additional colors, including burgundy and deep brown.—
Averi Baudler,
PEOPLE,
12 Jan. 2026
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Healthy cooking often boils down to accessibility and convenience; busy lives can leave people grabbing less nutritious alternatives.—
Virginia Willis,
AJC.com,
11 Jan. 2026
Verb
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But seizing current oil production is one thing; overhauling Venezuela's entire oil industry would be another.—
Camila Domonoske,
NPR,
7 Jan. 2026
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Trump has occasionally discussed seizing Greenland since his first term but few initially took his threats seriously.—
Dave Goldiner,
New York Daily News,
7 Jan. 2026
Verb
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Far northern Illinois, the northernmost stretch of Nebraska and far northeastern Oregon are also forecast to have potential of catching the northern lights (see graphic below).—
Mary Whitfill Roeloffs,
Forbes.com,
20 Jan. 2026
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The rules impact what is in the first five feet from a building or structure to better protect it from catching fire due to embers during a wildfire.—
Elizabeth Marie Himchak,
San Diego Union-Tribune,
20 Jan. 2026
Verb
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Protesters in Minneapolis have since flooded the streets in the thousands, and ICE agents have responded by apprehending some, shoving others to the ground, and spraying chemical irritants in their faces.—
Elizabeth Bruenig,
The Atlantic,
10 Jan. 2026
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While our immigration enforcement should be focused on apprehending and prosecuting violent criminals to make our communities safer, these ICE actions are doing the opposite and making our state less safe.—
WCCO Staff,
CBS News,
9 Jan. 2026
Verb
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But aesthetic treatments that sharpen the contours of the face—snatching the jaw, inflating the lips—to give them more contrast in photos, can reduce and distort expression.—
Valerie Monroe,
Allure,
15 Jan. 2026
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With a soul-stealing, heart-snatching smile.—
Los Angeles Times,
Los Angeles Times,
11 Jan. 2026
Verb
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By capturing and using the static electricity in compressed air, this system offers a sustainable way to generate electricity while also neutralizing hazardous charges that pose safety risks.—
Prabhat Ranjan Mishra,
Interesting Engineering,
12 Jan. 2026
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Like Dostoyevsky, Capote doesn’t portray his killers as demonic ciphers, instead capturing their messy complexity.—
Patrick Radden Keefe,
New Yorker,
11 Jan. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Nabbing.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/nabbing. Accessed 21 Jan. 2026.
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