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
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
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Recent Examples of nabbing
But after nabbing the part of the stern hotel manager Valentina in the second season of The White Lotus (2022), Impacciatore was launched into Hollywood fame.
—
Jackson McHenry, Vulture, 4 Sep. 2025
Photos show hunters nabbing a 14-foot alligator This story has been updated to add photos.
—Saleen Martin, USA Today, 4 Sep. 2025
Many wondered how the Packers were able to be all stealthy in nabbing Parsons.
—Matthew Schmidt, MSNBC Newsweek, 2 Sep. 2025
Despite nabbing acclaim at its Fantastic Fest premiere two years ago, The Toxic Avenger didn’t land a distribution deal until earlier this year via Terrifier 3 label, Cineverse, which agreed to release the unrated version currently playing in theaters nationwide.
—Josh Weiss, Forbes.com, 29 Aug. 2025
Abbott Elementary, for which Brunson also serves as creator and executive producer, wrapped up its fourth season by nabbing six Emmy nominations, including best comedy and best writing for a comedy series, which Brunson won for the series’ pilot episode in 2022.
—Etan Vlessing, HollywoodReporter, 29 Aug. 2025
The budding athlete was even spotted practicing with his father at the 2022 Wimbledon Championships, ahead of Novak nabbing his seventh Wimbledon title.
—Skyler Caruso, People.com, 27 Aug. 2025
O'Hara's career has flourished since, reprising her role as Delia Deetz in 2024's Beetlejuice Beetlejuice and nabbing key parts on two of 2025's buzziest shows, The Last of Us and The Studio.
—EW.com, 26 Aug. 2025
Amazon has completed two such deals in the last year, nabbing the founders and top talent away from Adept in June 2024, and from Covariant two months later.
—Ashley Capoot,salvador Rodriguez,annie Palmer, CNBC, 19 Aug. 2025
Jackson McHenry, Vulture, 4 Sep. 2025
Photos show hunters nabbing a 14-foot alligator This story has been updated to add photos.
—Saleen Martin, USA Today, 4 Sep. 2025
Many wondered how the Packers were able to be all stealthy in nabbing Parsons.
—Matthew Schmidt, MSNBC Newsweek, 2 Sep. 2025
Despite nabbing acclaim at its Fantastic Fest premiere two years ago, The Toxic Avenger didn’t land a distribution deal until earlier this year via Terrifier 3 label, Cineverse, which agreed to release the unrated version currently playing in theaters nationwide.
—Josh Weiss, Forbes.com, 29 Aug. 2025
Abbott Elementary, for which Brunson also serves as creator and executive producer, wrapped up its fourth season by nabbing six Emmy nominations, including best comedy and best writing for a comedy series, which Brunson won for the series’ pilot episode in 2022.
—Etan Vlessing, HollywoodReporter, 29 Aug. 2025
The budding athlete was even spotted practicing with his father at the 2022 Wimbledon Championships, ahead of Novak nabbing his seventh Wimbledon title.
—Skyler Caruso, People.com, 27 Aug. 2025
O'Hara's career has flourished since, reprising her role as Delia Deetz in 2024's Beetlejuice Beetlejuice and nabbing key parts on two of 2025's buzziest shows, The Last of Us and The Studio.
—EW.com, 26 Aug. 2025
Amazon has completed two such deals in the last year, nabbing the founders and top talent away from Adept in June 2024, and from Covariant two months later.
—Ashley Capoot,salvador Rodriguez,annie Palmer, CNBC, 19 Aug. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for nabbing
Verb
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Climate change has reduced its size dramatically, to a ghost of its former self, but the surrounding mountains are still arresting.—
Thomas Page McBee,
Travel + Leisure,
16 Sep. 2025
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The plaintiffs later accused the department of violating the order by hitting journalists with batons and arresting them during an August protest.—
BrieAnna J. Frank,
USA Today,
15 Sep. 2025
Verb
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After grabbing an early lead Friday evening, the Royals were unable to match their hosts’ prolific offense on Friday.—
Jaylon Thompson,
Kansas City Star,
13 Sep. 2025
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The owner squeezed her hands into the mix of kittens, moving the babies and grabbing the one that did not belong, which turned out to be a tiny mouse.—
Liz O'Connell,
MSNBC Newsweek,
12 Sep. 2025
Verb
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But many of the best-in-class companies are seizing on the chance to innovate and evolve.—
Shefali Kapadia,
Forbes.com,
16 Sep. 2025
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Since seizing effective control over the area after a 2012 standoff with the Philippines, China's coast guard has sought to keep local anglers away from the traditional fishing ground.—
Micah McCartney,
MSNBC Newsweek,
16 Sep. 2025
Verb
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Simultaneously, Foden attacks the vacant space, catching Manuel Ugarte off guard.—
Ahmed Walid,
New York Times,
15 Sep. 2025
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Emeka Egbuka delivered on the preseason hype in his first NFL game, catching four passes for 67 yards and two scores.—
Ben Verbrugge,
MSNBC Newsweek,
15 Sep. 2025
Verb
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But also on board the ship that night is this detective who is charged with apprehending Providence.—
Olivia Petty,
San Diego Union-Tribune,
12 Sep. 2025
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The immediate priority for law enforcement is locating and apprehending the suspect who should be considered armed and dangerous.—
Adeola Adeosun,
MSNBC Newsweek,
7 Sep. 2025
Verb
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Three Los Angeles County men have been arrested for allegedly snatching high-end jewelry from victims who were walking to their vehicles in Fullerton earlier this year, police said.—
City News Service,
Oc Register,
13 Sep. 2025
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One said bump is a particularly nasty, literal wig-snatching fight between Vida and Chi-Chi.—
Jen Juneau,
PEOPLE,
11 Sep. 2025
Verb
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The camera was also capturing a growing blurring of the boundaries between the Japanese and Taiwanese urban elite in colonial society.—
H.M.A. Leow,
JSTOR Daily,
13 Sep. 2025
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Instead of using a single bulky lens, the camera employs a thin mask embedded with dozens of tiny lenslets, each capturing a unique perspective of the same object.—
Bojan Stojkovski,
Interesting Engineering,
13 Sep. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Nabbing.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/nabbing. Accessed 18 Sep. 2025.
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