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nabber

 - 4 dictionary results

nab

  [nab]
Use nabber in a Sentence
–verb (used with object), nabbed, nab⋅bing. Informal.
1. to arrest or capture.
2. to catch or seize, esp. suddenly.
3. to snatch or steal.
Origin:
1675–85; earlier nap; perh. < Scand; cf. Dan nappe, Norw, Sw nappa to snatch

Related forms:
nabber, noun
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2009.
Cite This Source Link To nabber
nab   (nāb)   
tr.v.   nabbed, nab·bing, nabs Informal

  1. To seize (a fugitive or wrongdoer); arrest.

  2. To grab; snatch.


[Perhaps variant of dialectal nap, to seize, probably of Scandinavian origin.]
nab'ber n.
The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition
Copyright © 2009 by Houghton Mifflin Company.
Published by Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.
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Slang Dictionary
nab [næb]

  1. tv.
    to arrest someone. (See also nabbed.) : I knew they would nab him sooner or later.
  2. n.
    and nabber. a police officer; a cop. : There's a nabber at the door who wants to talk to you.
Dictionary of American Slang and Colloquial Expressions by Richard A. Spears.Fourth Edition.
Copyright 2007. Published by McGraw Hill.
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Word Origin & History

nab  (v.)
"to catch (someone), 1686, probably a variant of dial. nap "to seize, catch, lay hold of" (1673, now surviving only in kidnap), which is possibly from Scand. (cf. Norw. nappe "to catch, snatch;" Swed. nappa; Dan. nappe "to pinch, pull"), reinforced by M.E. napand "grasping, greedy."
Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2001 Douglas Harper
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