rob

[ rob ]
/ rɒb /

verb (used with object), robbed, rob·bing.

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.
Mining. to remove ore or coal from (a pillar).

verb (used without object), robbed, rob·bing.

to commit or practice robbery.

Idioms for rob

    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.

Origin of rob

1175–1225; Middle English robben < Old French robber < Germanic; compare Old High German roubōn. See reave1

SYNONYMS FOR rob

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.

OTHER WORDS FROM rob

un·robbed, adjective

WORDS THAT MAY BE CONFUSED WITH rob

burglarize mug rip off rob steal (see synonym study at the current entry)

Example sentences from the Web for robbed

British Dictionary definitions for robbed

rob
/ (rɒb) /

verb robs, robbing or robbed

(tr) to take something from (someone) illegally, as by force or threat of violence
to plunder (a house, shop, etc)
(tr) to deprive unjustly to be robbed of an opportunity

Derived forms of rob

robber, noun

Word Origin for rob

C13: from Old French rober, of Germanic origin; compare Old High German roubōn to rob