rob

¹

[ rob ]

verb (used with object)

, robbed, rob·bing.

1. to take something from (someone) by unlawful force or threat of violence; steal from.
2. to deprive (someone) of some right or something legally due:

   They robbed her of her inheritance.

   Synonyms: cheat, defraud

3. to plunder or rifle (a house, shop, etc.).
4. to deprive of something unjustly or injuriously:

   The team was robbed of a home run hitter when the umpire called it a foul ball. The shock robbed him of his speech.

5. Mining. to remove ore or coal from (a pillar).

verb (used without object)

, robbed, rob·bing.

1. to commit or practice robbery.

Rob

²

[ rob ]

noun

1. a male given name, form of Robert.

rob

/ rɒb /

verb

1. tr to take something from (someone) illegally, as by force or threat of violence
2. to plunder (a house, shop, etc)
3. tr to deprive unjustly

   to be robbed of an opportunity

Derived Forms

• ˈrobber, noun

Other Words From

• un·robbed adjective

Word History and Origins

Origin of rob¹

First recorded in 1175–1225; Middle English robben, from Old French robber, from Germanic; compare Old High German roubōn. See reave ¹

Word History and Origins

Origin of rob¹

C13: from Old French rober , of Germanic origin; compare Old High German roubōn to rob

Idioms and Phrases

Idioms

1. rob Peter to pay Paul, to take something from one person or thing to pay one's debt or hypothetical debt to another, as to sacrifice one's health by overworking.

Synonym Study

Rob, rifle, sack refer to seizing possessions that belong to others. Rob is the general word for taking possessions by unlawful force or violence: to rob a bank, a house, a train. A term with a more restricted meaning is rifle, to make a thorough search for what is valuable or worthwhile, usually within a small space: to rifle a safe. On the other hand, sack is a term for robbery on a huge scale during war; it suggests destruction accompanying pillage, and often includes the indiscriminate massacre of civilians: to sack a town or district.

Example Sentences

But Rob Jones, director of operations at the NCA, says cracking down on the trade is complex - and even more difficult than policing the movement of illegal drugs.

From BBC

Remember when the Lakers’ Rob Pelinka tore apart the 2020 championship team by ridding them of important role players so they could add Russell Westbrook?

From Los Angeles Times

Boyle Heights and the MacArthur Park area, gaining their trust through friendly conversation in order to kidnap and rob their victims at gunpoint, authorities said.

From Los Angeles Times

Rob McCoy thanked God — and Charlie Kirk, one of the Republican Party’s most influential power brokers.

From Los Angeles Times

Matthew Boedy, a professor of rhetoric and composition at the University of North Georgia, said that “Rob McCoy was the person who turned Charlie Kirk to Christian nationalism, and very specifically the Seven Mountains Mandate,” the idea that Christians should try to influence the seven pillars of cultural influence: arts and entertainment, business, education, family, government, media and religion.

From Los Angeles Times

Related Words

• bereave
• break into
• cheat
• defraud
• divest
• hijack
• loot
• lose
• mug
• plunder
• raid
• ransack
• strip