English Explanatory Dictionary

nab

English dictionary entry

Meanings

verb
  1. To seize, arrest or take into custody (a criminal or fugitive).
  2. To grab or snatch something.
  3. To steal or copy another user's post.
noun
  1. The summit of a hill.
  2. The cock of a gunlock.
  3. The keeper, or box into which the lock is shot.
name
  1. Initialism of National Australia Bank.
  2. Initialism of National Association of Broadcasters.
  3. Abbreviation of National Accountability Bureau.

Pronunciation

/næb/ en-us-nab.ogg

Word forms

nab nabs nabbing nabbed knab

Etymology

From dialectal nap (“to seize, lay hold of”), probably of North Germanic origin, from Old Swedish nappa (“to pluck, pinch”). Related to Danish nappe (“to tweak, snatch at, catch, seize”), Swedish nappa (“to take, grab, pinch”), Norwegian Bokmål nappe (“to grab, snatch, pluck, yank”).

Synonyms

nick bust cop

Derived words

hab or nab kidnap nabber nabman nab the rust tabnabbing unnabbed
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