nab

verb

ˈnab 

nabbed; nabbing

transitive verb

1

: to catch or seize in arrest : apprehend

2

: to seize suddenly

Synonyms of nab

• arrest
• seize
• grab
• apprehend
• detain

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

The algorithm’s top pick is Noah, a copywriter in a midlife crisis, to train UniView’s new bot Quinn on the best way to nab consumers’ attention and empty their wallets. —Literary Hub, 1 Apr. 2026

But Francisco Alvarez grounded back to reliever Justin Bruihl, who nabbed Semien at third base for a force out. —Peter Sblendorio, New York Daily News, 1 Apr. 2026

The singer won her first Grammy in 2020, nabbing three awards for best pop solo performance, best urban contemporary album and best traditional R&B performance. —Anna Kaufman, USA Today, 1 Apr. 2026

Bailey Sullivan of Monteverde Restaurant & Pastificio was nominated in the Emerging Chef category, while both Norman Fenton of Cariño and Jacob Potashnick of Feld nabbed nods for Best Chef, Great Lakes. —Zareen Syed, Chicago Tribune, 31 Mar. 2026

Word History

Etymology

perhaps alteration of English dialect nap

First Known Use

1686, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Rhymes for nab

• ab
• cab
• crab
• dab
• drab
• fab
• gab
• grab
• jab
• lab
• mab
• rab

Kids Definition

nab

verb

ˈnab 

nabbed; nabbing

1

: to seize and take into custody : arrest

2

: to seize suddenly

especially : steal entry 1 sense 2a