- (transitive) to take something from (someone) illegally, as by force or threat of violence
- to plunder (a house, shop, etc)
- (transitive) to deprive unjustly: to be robbed of an opportunity
WordReference Random House Learner's Dictionary of American English © 2026
rob /rɑb/USA pronunciation
v., robbed, rob•bing.
WordReference Random House Unabridged Dictionary of American English © 2026- to take something by unlawful force;
steal from: [~ + object]The crooks robbed several banks.[~ + object + of + object]They robbed him of all his money.[no object]roaming the countryside, robbing and murdering. - to take away from (someone) some right or cheat (someone) out of something:[~ + object + of + object]robbed her of her inheritance.
- to deprive of something unjustly: [~ + object + of + object]The shock robbed him of speech.[~ + object]The team felt it had been robbed because the umpire made a mistake.
rob
(rob),USA pronunciation v., robbed, rob•bing.
v.t.
v.t.
- to take something from (someone) by unlawful force or threat of violence;
steal from. - to deprive (someone) of some right or something legally due:They robbed her of her inheritance.
- to plunder or rifle (a house, shop, etc.).
- 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.
- Miningto remove ore or coal from (a pillar).
- to commit or practice robbery.
- 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.
- Gmc; compare Old High German roubōn. See reave1
- Old French robber
- Middle English robben 1175–1225
v.i.
- 1. 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. 2. defraud, cheat.
- a male given name, form of Robert.
Collins Concise English Dictionary © HarperCollins Publishers::
rob /rɒb/ vb (robs, robbing, robbed)
'rob' also found in these entries (note: many are not synonyms or translations):
bail up
- blag
- carjack
- cleaner
- deflower
- deprive
- despoil
- do
- hob
- hold-up
- knock off
- mug
- pillage
- plunder
- reave
- robe
- roll
- rover
- rubato
- Scott
- stick-up
- strip
- turn over
- armed robbery
- bail
- burn
- camp robber
- clay-colored robin
- collusion
- compile
- cops and robbers
- cradle
- fake
- flying robin
- ghoul
- graverobber
- ground robin
- gyp
- harry
- heist
- herb Robert
- highway robbery
- hijack
- hold
- knock
- larceny
- loot
- Mount Robson Park
- mugger
- mugging