nabbed; nabbing

transitive verb

1
: to catch or seize in arrest : apprehend
2
: to seize suddenly

Examples of nab in a Sentence

We nabbed seats in the front row of the theater. the officer nabbed the purse snatcher before he could escape
Recent Examples on the Web
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Thornton also nabbed a Golden Globe nomination for best actor in a drama series for his work on the show. Joe Otterson, Variety, 12 Mar. 2025 If 12th-seed Minnesota doesn’t win the conference tournament and nab the automatic qualifier for the NCAA tournament, a new, smaller tournament has entered the fray. Andy Greder, Twin Cities, 10 Mar. 2025 The first real unknown picked in today’s draft. 12:49: Texas finally nabs the slot, grabbing it for $50k and immediately drafting the underrated Noe Khlif. Todd Boss, Forbes, 3 Mar. 2025 Zoe Saldana also nabbed her coveted first nod for Netflix’s Emilia Perez, and at the time of writing this post, she’s just taken home the Best Supporting Actress statuette. Victoria Uwumarogie, Essence, 3 Mar. 2025 See All Example Sentences for nab

Word History

Etymology

perhaps alteration of English dialect nap

First Known Use

1686, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Time Traveler
The first known use of nab was in 1686

Cite this Entry

“Nab.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/nab. Accessed 17 Mar. 2025.

Kids Definition

nab

verb
nabbed; nabbing
1
: to seize and take into custody : arrest
2
: to seize suddenly
especially : steal entry 1 sense 2a

More from Merriam-Webster on nab

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
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