v.
Pronunciation: ' räb
Function: verb
Inflected Form: robbed ; rob · bing
Etymology: Middle English robben, from Anglo-French rober, of Germanic origin; akin to Old High German roub ō n to rob ― more at REAVE
Date: 13th century
transitive verb
1 a (1) : to take something away from by force : steal from (2) : to take personal property from by violence or threat b (1) : to remove valuables without right from (a place) (2) : to take the contents of (a receptacle) c : to take away as loot : STEAL < rob jewelry>
2 a : to deprive of something due, expected, or desired b : to withhold unjustly or injuriously
intransitive verb : to commit robbery
– rob · ber noun
usage Sense vt 1c, in which the direct object is the thing stolen, is sometimes considered to be wrong, or perhaps archaic. The sense has been in use since the 13th century and is found in earlier literature <contrive to rob the honey and subvert the hive ― John Dryden>. It is still in use though not as common as other senses <then robbed $100 after the clerk fled ― Springfield (Mass.) Morning Union >.