to take something from (someone) by unlawful force or threat of violence; steal from.
2.
to deprive (someone) of some right or something legally due: They robbed her of her inheritance.
3.
to plunder or rifle (a house, shop, etc.).
4.
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.
5.
Mining. to remove ore or coal from (a pillar).
–verb (used without object)
6.
to commit or practice robbery.
—Idiom
7.
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: 1175–1225; ME robben < OF robber < Gmc; cf. OHG roubōn.See reave1]
—Synonyms 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.
c.1175 (implied in robber), from O.Fr. rober, from a Gmc. source (cf. O.H.G. roubon "to rob," roub "spoil, plunder;" O.E. reafian, source of the reave in bereave), from P.Gmc. *raubojanan, from *raub- "to break."
"Lord, hou schulde God approve þat þou robbe Petur, and gif þis robbere to Poule in þe name of Crist?" [Wyclif, c.1380]
To rob the cradle is attested from 1940s. Robber baron in the "corrupt, greedy financier" sense is attested from 1878.
Reave\, v. t. [imp. & p. p. Reaved, Reft, or Raft(obs.); p. pr. & vb. n. Reaving.] [AS. re['a]fian, from re['a]f spoil, plunder, clothing, re['o]fan to break (cf. bire['o]fan to deprive of); akin to G. rauben to rob, Icel. raufa to rob, rj[=u]fa to break, violate, Goth. bir['a]ubon to despoil, L. rumpere to break; cf. Skr. lup to break. [root]114. Cf. Bereave, Rob, v. t., Robe, Rove, v. t., Rupture.] To take away by violence or by stealth; to snatch away; to rob; to despoil; to bereave. [Archaic]. "To reave his life." --Spenser. He golden apples raft of the dragon. --Chaucer. By privy stratagem my life at home. --Chapman. To reave the orphan of his patrimony. --Shak. The heaven caught and reft him of his tongue. --Tennyson.
Rob\, n. [F.; cf. Sp. rob, It. rob, robbo, Pg. robe, arrobe, Ar. rubb, robb, Per. rub.] The inspissated juice of ripe fruit, obtained by evaporation of the juice over a fire till it acquires the consistence of a sirup. It is sometimes mixed with honey or sugar. [Written also rhob, and rohob.]
Rob\, v. t. [imp. & p. p. Robbed; p. pr. & vb. n. Robbing.] [OF. rober, of German origin; cf. OHG. roub?n, G. rauben, and OHG. roub robbing, booty, G. raub. [root]114. See Reave,and cf. Robe.]1. To take (something) away from by force; to strip by stealing; to plunder; to pillage; to steal from. Who would rob a hermit of his weeds, His few books, or his beads, or maple dish? --Milton. He that is robbed, not wanting what is stolen, Let him not know it, and he's not robbed at all. --Shak. To be executed for robbing a church. --Shak. 2. (Law) To take the property of (any one) from his person, or in his presence, feloniously, and against his will, by violence or by putting him in fear. 3. To deprive of, or withhold from, unjustly or injuriously; to defraud; as, to rob one of his rest, or of his good name; a tree robs the plants near it of sunlight. I never robbed the soldiers of their pay. --Shak.
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Audio Help [rob] Pronunciation Key verb, robbed, rob·bing. 
