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

In an email exchange shown to BBC News last year, deep-sea specialist Rob McCallum told Rush that the sub should not be used for commercial deep dive operations and was placing passengers in a “dangerous dynamic”.

From BBC

In an email exchange with Rob McCallum, he said he didn’t need a piece of paper to show Titan was safe, and that his own protocols and the “informed consent” of passengers were enough.

From BBC

While Howie Long, Jay Glazer, Curt Menefee, Terry Bradshaw, Jimmy Johnson and Rob Gronkowski placed their hands over their hearts, Strahan had his arms draped in front of him with one hand over the other.

From Los Angeles Times

Gen. Rob Bonta, who has said he’s “seriously considering” running; developer Rick Caruso, who lost the Los Angeles mayor’s race in 2022; and Republican Lanhee Chen, who lost the election for state controller in 2022.

From Los Angeles Times

If injured right tackle Rob Havenstein returns from an ankle injury to play on Sunday against the New England Patriots, it could mark the first time the Rams will play with the line they projected after spending heavily at the position during the offseason.

From Los Angeles Times

Related Words

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