1
as in arrested
to take or keep under one's control by authority of law
the officer nabbed the purse snatcher before he could escape
Synonyms & Similar Words
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in grabbed
to take physical control or possession of (something) suddenly or forcibly
a pickpocket nabbed my wallet
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
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Recent Examples of nabbed
Hayes claimed four of them and Cushing nabbed one.
—
Braidon Nourse, Denver Post, 26 Apr. 2026
Garcia sprinted off exiting through a side entrance and evaded authorities until cops nabbed him on March 25, 2026.
—Emma Seiwell, New York Daily News, 25 Apr. 2026
Giants third base coach Hector Borg waved Lee home, trying to take advantage of the wet conditions and a lazy throw back to the infield, but the Dodgers nabbed Lee with feet to spare.
—Justice Delos Santos, Mercury News, 24 Apr. 2026
Last May, more than 100 workers were arrested at a construction site in Tallahassee, and 84 people were nabbed at the Delta Downs racetrack in Vinton, Louisiana.
—Anna Giaritelli, The Washington Examiner, 24 Apr. 2026
The couple nabbed a spot at the nearby RV campsite, making a mini vacation out of the weekend.
—Laylan Connelly, Oc Register, 23 Apr. 2026
Mishaps over Fox’s Baywatch revival, which nabbed $21 million in tax credits to shoot in Los Angeles instead of Australia, brought that fight to the fore.
—Gary Baum, HollywoodReporter, 17 Apr. 2026
An undercover operation targeting child predators nabbed 15 people from across Central Florida, the Orlando Police Department announced Thursday.
—Cristóbal Reyes, The Orlando Sentinel, 16 Apr. 2026
Swiss cities nabbed nearly half the spots on the top 10 list, clearly making Switzerland one of the most expensive countries in the world.
—Amelia Mularz, Architectural Digest, 14 Apr. 2026
Braidon Nourse, Denver Post, 26 Apr. 2026
Garcia sprinted off exiting through a side entrance and evaded authorities until cops nabbed him on March 25, 2026.
—Emma Seiwell, New York Daily News, 25 Apr. 2026
Giants third base coach Hector Borg waved Lee home, trying to take advantage of the wet conditions and a lazy throw back to the infield, but the Dodgers nabbed Lee with feet to spare.
—Justice Delos Santos, Mercury News, 24 Apr. 2026
Last May, more than 100 workers were arrested at a construction site in Tallahassee, and 84 people were nabbed at the Delta Downs racetrack in Vinton, Louisiana.
—Anna Giaritelli, The Washington Examiner, 24 Apr. 2026
The couple nabbed a spot at the nearby RV campsite, making a mini vacation out of the weekend.
—Laylan Connelly, Oc Register, 23 Apr. 2026
Mishaps over Fox’s Baywatch revival, which nabbed $21 million in tax credits to shoot in Los Angeles instead of Australia, brought that fight to the fore.
—Gary Baum, HollywoodReporter, 17 Apr. 2026
An undercover operation targeting child predators nabbed 15 people from across Central Florida, the Orlando Police Department announced Thursday.
—Cristóbal Reyes, The Orlando Sentinel, 16 Apr. 2026
Swiss cities nabbed nearly half the spots on the top 10 list, clearly making Switzerland one of the most expensive countries in the world.
—Amelia Mularz, Architectural Digest, 14 Apr. 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for nabbed
Verb
-
In a letter to senators earlier this year, then-Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem said that between January and November of last year, 261 DACA recipients were arrested and 86 were removed from the country.—
Ximena Bustillo,
NPR,
25 Apr. 2026
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Three people were arrested after shots were fired at officers attempting to pull a vehicle over in the Brighton Park neighborhood, Chicago police said.—
Deanese Williams-Harris,
Chicago Tribune,
25 Apr. 2026
Verb
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Investigators later learned Hissom and her male passenger, who was wounded, were caught in a crossfire as a group of four or five men grabbed weapons from a vehicle and began firing at each other.—
Darrell Smith,
Sacbee.com,
30 Apr. 2026
-
Aristide then allegedly charged at his brother, grabbed him by the neck and forced him to the ground, according to the report.—
Mauricio Maldonado,
CBS News,
30 Apr. 2026
Verb
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Authorities also seized multiple weapons, ammunition and explosive devices, the military said.—
CBS News,
CBS News,
24 Apr. 2026
-
Some vessels with links to Iran made attempts to move through the strait, but others are staying away after Iran attacked three ships with gunfire earlier this week and seized two more.—
NPR Staff,
NPR,
24 Apr. 2026
Verb
-
Gonzales drove a first-pitch slider to left, and Church jumped and caught the ball above the top of the 6-foot wall, 373 feet from home plate.—
CBS News,
CBS News,
30 Apr. 2026
-
That’s what kept his head on straight in the trenches, even when his socks got bogged down with mud and soldiers flanked on either side of him caught shrapnel or pneumonia.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
30 Apr. 2026
Verb
-
Jean Brown, who lives on West Carmen Avenue, said police apprehended the suspect from under the back deck of a house in the alley between her street and West Winona Street.—
Madeline King,
Chicago Tribune,
25 Apr. 2026
-
Abundez, the other defendant, was apprehended in June 2025 at the Otay Mesa Port of Entry.—
David Zahniser,
Los Angeles Times,
25 Apr. 2026
Verb
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Then last June, the Nuggets snatched Wallace back from Minnesota, hiring him as their new co-general manager alongside his friend Ben Tenzer — another longtime Connelly disciple who’d been a steady hand behind the scenes in Denver’s front office since 2013.—
Bennett Durando,
Denver Post,
25 Apr. 2026
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Chicago Cubs center fielder Rick Monday snatched an American flag from two men who intended to set it afire during the fourth inning in the outfield at Dodger Stadium in Los Angeles.—
Kori Rumore,
Chicago Tribune,
25 Apr. 2026
Verb
-
In 1960, the Soviet Union shot down an American U-2 reconnaissance plane and captured its pilot, Francis Gary Powers.—
Chicago Tribune,
Chicago Tribune,
1 May 2026
-
In 2024, the pygmy hippo Moo Deng in Thailand captured hearts around the world with her water splashing, knee-biting antics spreading like wildfire on TikTok and other platforms.—
Los Angeles Times,
Los Angeles Times,
30 Apr. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Nabbed.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/nabbed. Accessed 2 May. 2026.
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