Robbing

How to spell robbing

7 letters · 2 syllables

How to pronounce robbing

Say the part in capitals loudest.

What does robbing mean?

1. verbStealing money or property from a person or place, typically by force or threat.

Robbing in a sentence

• The gang was caught robbing the corner shop late at night.

• Robbing a bank carries a far heavier sentence than petty theft.

Where does robbing come from?

Language of origin: French

This is the present participle of the verb 'rob', which English took from the Old French verb 'rober', meaning 'to seize, plunder, or steal'. That French word was itself borrowed from a Germanic source, related to the old root that also gave us 'reave' and 'bereave', and which carried the idea of breaking in and carrying off goods by force. The earliest sense in English, around the 1200s, was strongly tied to violent plunder and brigandage rather than quiet theft, which is why we still 'rob' a bank or a person rather than 'rob' a wallet. The spelling trap lies entirely in the doubled 'b': because 'rob' ends in a single short vowel followed by a single consonant, that final consonant doubles before the '-ing' ending, giving 'robbing' rather than 'robing'. Keeping a single 'b' would instead spell 'robing', the act of putting on a robe, so the doubled letter genuinely changes the word.

How the word is built

• rob (to steal from)
• -b- (doubled consonant after short vowel)
• -ing (present participle suffix)