Rob
verbTo take property unlawfully from a person or place, often by force or threat.
How to spell rob
3 letters · 1 syllable
How to pronounce rob
What does rob mean?
- verbTo take property unlawfully from a person or place, often by force or threat.
Rob in a sentence
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The gang planned to rob the bank on a quiet weekday.
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Thieves tried to rob the elderly couple at the cash machine.
Where does rob come from?
Language of origin: French
The word comes from the Old French verb 'rober', meaning 'to plunder' or 'to steal', which English adopted in the early 1200s. That Old French word was itself borrowed from a Germanic source, the same root that gave German 'rauben' (to rob) and which is connected to the old idea of seizing booty or spoils. Strikingly, the same ancient root also lies behind the everyday word 'robe', because a garment was originally counted among the goods that a victor stripped from the defeated. Over the centuries the sense narrowed from general pillaging by armies to the specific modern meaning of unlawfully taking property from a person or place. The short, blunt spelling has stayed remarkably stable, with no silent letters to trip a writer.
How the word is built
- rob (from Old French rober: to plunder, steal)
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