rob

R1O1B3
Northern England, UK/ɹɒb/Australia, British, Southern, Standard/ɹɔb/US/ɹɑb/New Zealand[ɹɔ̟b] ~ [ɹɞ̠b]

verb

To steal from, especially using force or violence.

“The best way to rob a bank is to own one.”

Similar
overchargesoaksurchargegazumpfleeceplumepluckhook
OriginMiddle English robben ← Anglo-Norman robber ← Late Latin raubāre →
CommonFirst used 15th c.Scrabble 5
Ask AI about this wordChatGPTClaudePerplexityGoogle AIGrok

Meanings

rob1

verbrob (third-person singular simple present robs, present participle robbing, simple past and past participle robbed)

present singular third person robs · participle present robbing · participle past robbed · past robbed

  1. transitiveTo steal from, especially using force or violence.

    He robbed three banks before he was caught.

  2. transitiveTo deprive of, or withhold from, unjustly or injuriously; to defraud.

    The best way to rob a bank is to own one.

    1 more example

    I never robbed the soldiers of their pay.

    1591 (date written), William Shakespeare, “The Second Part of Henry the Sixt, […]”, in Mr. William Shakespeares Comedies, Histories, & Tragedies. […] (First Folio), London: […] Isaac Iaggard, and Ed[ward] Blount, published 1623, →OCLC, [Act III, scene v]
  3. figurativelytransitiveTo deprive (of).

    Working all day robs me of any energy to go out in the evening.

    2 more examples

    Little disappointed, then, she turned attention to "Chat of the Social World," gossip which exercised potent fascination upon the girl's intelligence. She devoured with more avidity than she had her food those pretentiously phrased chronicles of the snobocracy—[…]—distilling therefrom an acid envy that robbed her napoleon of all its flavor.

    1914 November, Louis Joseph Vance, “An Outsider […]”, in Munsey’s Magazine, volume LIII, number II, New York, N.Y.: The Frank A[ndrew] Munsey Company, […], published 1915, →OCLC, chapter I (Anarchy), page 373, column 2

    The railway is still vital to Jordan's export trade, but in spite of the poor quality of the road, diesel lorries are gradually robbing it of freight traffic, and anyone who can afford to fly does so rather than face the long desert journey by rail.

    1956 March, R. C. Blaker, “The Hedjaz Railway”, in Railway Magazine, page 167
  4. slangtransitiveTo burgle.

    Her house was robbed.

    2008 September 4, National Public Radio, All Things Considered
  5. UKslangtransitiveTo steal.

    That bloke robbed my phone!

  6. intransitiveTo commit robbery.
  7. hobbiesTo take possession of the ball, puck etc. from.

    Kevin Mirallas then robbed Bacary Sagna to run into the area and draw another save from Szczesny as the Gunners held on to lead at the break.

    2011 September 28, Tom Rostance, “Arsenal 2-1 Olympiakos”, in BBC Sport

rob2

nounrob (uncountable)

alternative rhob · alternative rohob

  1. uncountableA syrup made of evaporating fruit juice over a fire, usually mixed with sugar or honey, and especially used for medicinal purposes.First known use 15th c.

    Also began to make wort from the malt and give it to such people as had symptoms of the scurvy; one of them indeed is highly scorbutick altho he has been taking of the rob for some time past without finding himself benefited therefrom […] .

    1772, James Cook, The Journals, Second Voyage, 20 December
    1 more example

    [I]nſtead of Honey, Rob of Elder, Conſerve of Roſes, or Syrup of Violets; Glyſters, Pedilavia of emollient Decoctions with Nitre; or Elder, Vinegar, or Focus's of the ſame, applied with Sponges behind the Ears, to the Armpits, Groins, Hams, &c. or with Barley-water and a little Roſe-vinegar.

    1749, [Thomas Short], “10th, Of Feverish Heat”, in A General Chronological History of the Air, volume II, T[homas] Longman, A[ndrew] Millar, →OCLC, pages 512–513

Rob3

proper noun
  1. A diminutive of the male given names Robert and Robin.

    And in both cases, a man named Rob Monster – an outspoken born-again Christian and the CEO of a tech company called Epik – made pointed restorations, republishing much of the New Zealand content and putting Gab back online. All in the name, he said, of free speech.

    2021 December 9, Rob Kuznia, Curt Devine and Yahya Abou-Ghazala, “Epik is a refuge for the deplatformed far right. Here’s why its CEO insists on doing it”, in CNN
  2. rare compared to the pet formA surname transferred from the given name, derived from Robert.

ROB4

noun
  1. artsRegion of background (in digital images).

Synonyms & antonyms

verbrip off; ask an unreasonable price

Similar
overchargesoaksurchargegazumpfleeceplumepluckhook
Broader
cheatrip offchisel
Also see
confiscatedeprivefilchfleecegazumphooklootoverchargepluckplumesoakspoliatestealsurchargethieve

Synonym sets from Open English WordNet, CC BY 4.0.

Origin

rob · verb

  1. Proto-Germanic*raubōną
  2. Old High Germanroubōn
  3. Frankish*raubōn
  4. Late Latinraubāre
  5. Anglo-Normanrobber
  6. Middle Englishrobben
  7. Englishrob

From Middle English robben, from Anglo-Norman robber, from Late Latin raubāre, from Frankish *raubōn (compare Dutch roven) and Old High German roubōn, raubōn (“to rob, steal, plunder”), from Proto-Germanic *raubōną. Doublet of reave.

More words from Middle English, Anglo-Norman, Late Latin

Full word history & related roots →

rob · noun

  1. Arabicربّ“thickened fruit juice”
  2. Medieval Latinrob
  3. Englishrob

From Medieval Latin rob, from Arabic ربّ (“thickened fruit juice”). Compare French rob, Spanish rob, Italian rob, robbo, Portuguese robe, arrobe, Persian ربودن (present stem: robâ).

More words from Medieval Latin, Arabic

Full word history & related roots →

Translations

Ancient Greek λῃστεύω
  • λῃστεύω (lēisteúō)to steal from, using violence
Arabic نَهَب, سَلَب
  • نَهَب (nahab)to steal from, using violence
  • سَلَب (salab)to steal from, using violence
  • سطاto burgle
Bulgarian грабя, лишавам от
  • грабя (grabja)to steal from, using violence
  • лишавам от (lišavam ot)to deprive of
  • извършвам кражба (izvăršvam kražba)to commit robbery
Catalan robar, atracar
  • robarto steal from, using violence
  • atracarto steal from, using violence
Chinese Mandarin 抢, 搶劫 /抢劫
  • 抢 (qiǎng)to steal from, using violence
  • 搶劫 /抢劫 (qiǎngjié)to steal from, using violence
Czech loupit, vyloupit
  • loupitto steal from, using violence
  • vyloupitto steal from, using violence
  • oloupitto steal from, using violence
Danish røve, bestjæle
  • røveto steal from, using violence
  • bestjæleto deprive of
  • berøveto deprive of
  • stjæleto burgle
  • tyvstjæleto burgle
  • begå røverito commit robbery
  • røveto commit robbery
Dutch beroven, bestelen
  • berovento steal from, using violence
  • bestelento steal from, using violence
Esperanto rabi, ŝteli
  • rabito steal from, using violence
  • ŝtelito steal from, using violence
Finnish ryöstää, ryöstää
  • ryöstääto steal from, using violence
  • ryöstääto deprive of
  • ryöstääto commit robbery
French voler, cambrioler
  • volerto steal from, using violence
  • cambriolerto steal from, using violence
  • volerto deprive of
  • cambriolerto commit robbery
German rauben
  • raubento steal from, using violence
Greek ληστεύω, κλέβω
  • ληστεύω (listévo)to steal from, using violence
  • κλέβω (klévo)to steal from, using violence
  • αποστερώ (aposteró)to deprive of
  • διαρρηγνύω (diarrignýo)to burgle
  • ληστεύω (listévo)to commit robbery
Hebrew שָׁדַד, גָּזַל
  • שָׁדַד (shadád)to steal from, using violence
  • גָּזַל (gazál)to deprive of
Hungarian rabol, kirabol
  • rabolto steal from, using violence
  • kirabolto steal from, using violence
  • betörto burgle
Indonesian rampok
  • rampokto steal from, using violence
Irish creach, slad
  • creachto steal from, using violence
  • sladto steal from, using violence
Italian rapinare, saccheggiare
  • rapinareto steal from, using violence
  • saccheggiareto steal from, using violence
  • rubareto deprive of
  • privareto deprive of
Japanese 盗む, 奪う
  • 盗む (nusumu)to steal from, using violence
  • 奪う (ubau)to steal from, using violence
  • 略奪する (ryakudatsu suru)to steal from, using violence
  • 強奪する (gōdatsu suru)to steal from, using violence
  • 奪う (ubau)to deprive of
  • 奪い取る (ubai-toru)to deprive of
  • 奪う (ubau)to burgle
  • 奪い取る (ubai-toru)to burgle
  • 略奪する (ryakudatsu suru)to burgle
  • 奪う (ubau)to commit robbery
  • 奪い取る (ubai-toru)to commit robbery
  • 略奪する (ryakudatsu suru)to commit robbery
Latin latrocinor
  • latrocinorto steal from, using violence
Lithuanian plėšti, apiplėšti
  • plėštito steal from, using violence
  • apiplėštito steal from, using violence
  • grobtito steal from, using violence
Malay rompak
  • rompakto steal from, using violence
Norwegian Bokmål røve, rane
  • røveto steal from, using violence
  • raneto steal from, using violence
Persian ربودن
  • ربودن (robudan)to steal from, using violence
Polish grabić, obłupić
  • grabićto steal from, using violence
  • obłupićto steal from, using violence
  • obrabowaćto steal from, using violence
  • ograbićto steal from, using violence
  • pozbawićto deprive of
Portuguese assaltar, roubar
  • assaltarto steal from, using violence
  • roubarto deprive of
  • roubarto burgle
  • assaltarto commit robbery
Romanian fura
  • furato deprive of
Russian гра́бить, огра́бить
  • гра́бить (grábitʹ)to steal from, using violence
  • огра́бить (ográbitʹ)to steal from, using violence
  • лиша́ть (lišátʹ)to deprive of
  • лиши́ть (lišítʹ)to deprive of
  • гра́бить (grábitʹ)to commit robbery
  • огра́бить (ográbitʹ)to commit robbery
Scottish Gaelic creach, creach
  • creachto steal from, using violence
  • creachto commit robbery
Spanish robar, robar
  • robarto steal from, using violence
  • robarto deprive of
  • robarto burgle
  • robarto commit robbery
Swedish råna, beröva
  • rånato steal from, using violence
  • berövato deprive of
  • rövato commit robbery
  • rånato commit robbery
Tamil கொள்ளையடி
  • கொள்ளையடி (koḷḷaiyaṭi)to steal from, using violence
Ukrainian грабува́ти
  • грабува́ти (hrabuváty)to steal from, using violence
Vietnamese cướp, đột nhập
  • cướpto steal from, using violence
  • đột nhậpto burgle
  • trộmto commit robbery
  • cướpto commit robbery

Rhymes & wordplay

Rhymes with rob

bobobmobcobbhobSchwabdobcobmacabreglobswabgobthrobgrobkobheartthrobsquabKolobathrobflobquabquobthob
All rhymes →

Anagrams

broorbbor
Cite this entry
APA

rob. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 2, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/rob

MLA

“rob.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/rob. Accessed November 2, 2026.

Chicago

WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “rob,” accessed November 2, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/rob.

Source: rob on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.