nobble

verb

nob·​ble ˈnä-bəl 

nobbled; nobbling ˈnä-b(ə-)liŋ 

transitive verb

1

British : to incapacitate (a racehorse) especially by drugging

2

British slang

a

: to win over to one's side

b

: steal

c

: swindle, cheat

d

: to get hold of : catch

nobbler

ˈnä-b(ə-)lər 

noun

Synonyms

• beat
• bilk
• bleed
• cheat
• chisel
• chouse
• con
• cozen
• defraud
• diddle
• do
• do in
• euchre
• fiddle
• fleece
• flimflam
• gaff
• hose [slang]
• hustle
• mulct
• pluck
• ream
• rip off
• rook
• screw
• shake down
• short
• shortchange
• skin
• skunk
• squeeze
• stick
• stiff
• sting
• sucker
• swindle
• thimblerig
• victimize

Examples of nobble in a Sentence

We found out later that the horse had been nobbled, which explained its poor performance.

She was trying to nobble the jury.

Recent Examples on the Web

Poland’s ruling party has tried to nobble the courts and the civil service. —The Economist, 31 Oct. 2019

Lacking a supermajority to amend the constitution, PiS did the next best thing and nobbled the constitutional tribunal. —The Economist, 21 Apr. 2018

In Hungary, having nobbled the courts, media and public prosecutor, Viktor Orban is squeezing civil society and using state (and EU) funds to nurture oligarchs. —The Economist, 19 Apr. 2018

Word History

Etymology

perhaps irregular frequentative of nab

First Known Use

1847, in the meaning defined at sense 1