rob

(rŏb)

v. robbed, rob·bing, robs

v.tr.

a. Law To take property from (a person) illegally by using or threatening to use violence or force; commit robbery upon.

b. To steal something from (a place, vehicle, or institution, for example): Bandits robbed the train.

c. To steal (money or valuables): robbed money out of the till.

a. To deprive unjustly of something belonging to, desired by, or legally due (someone): robbed her of her professional standing.

b. To deprive of something injuriously: a parasite that robs a tree of its sap.

v.intr.

To engage in or commit robbery.

Idioms:

rob Peter to pay Paul

To incur a debt in order to pay off another debt.

rob (someone) blind

To rob in an unusually deceitful or thorough way: robbed the old couple blind while employed as a companion.

rob the cradle Informal

To have a romantic or sexual relationship with someone significantly younger than oneself.

[Middle English robben, from Old French rober, of Germanic origin; see reup- in Indo-European roots.]

rob′ber n.

American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fifth Edition. Copyright © 2016 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.

rob•ber

(ˈrɒb ər)

n.

a person who robs.

[1125–75; Middle English robbere < Old French robere. See rob, -er¹]

syn: See thief.

thief

– robber – burglar

Anyone that steals can be called a thief. A robber often uses violence or the threat of violence to steal things from places such as banks or shops.

They caught the armed robber who raided a supermarket.

A burglar breaks into houses or other buildings and steals things.

The average burglar spends just two minutes inside your house.

Collins COBUILD English Usage © HarperCollins Publishers 1992, 2004, 2011, 2012

ThesaurusAntonymsRelated WordsSynonymsLegend:

Noun

robber - a thief who steals from someone by threatening violence

bank robber - a robber of banks

mugger - a robber who takes property by threatening or performing violence on the person who is robbed (usually on the street)

stealer, thief - a criminal who takes property belonging to someone else with the intention of keeping it or selling it

robber

noun thief, raider, burglar, looter, stealer, fraud, cheat, pirate, bandit, plunderer, mugger (informal), highwayman, con man (informal), fraudster, swindler, brigand, grifter (slang, chiefly U.S. & Canad.), footpad (archaic) Armed robbers broke into a jewellers.

Related words
fear harpaxophobia

Collins Thesaurus of the English Language – Complete and Unabridged 2nd Edition. 2002 © HarperCollins Publishers 1995, 2002

robber

noun

A person who steals:

bandit, burglar, highwayman, housebreaker, larcener, larcenist, pilferer, purloiner, stealer, thief.

Translations

سَارِقلِص، سارِق، نَهّاب

разбойник

lupičzloděj

røver

Räuber

κλέφτης ληστής

ladrón ladrona atracador

ryöstäjäryöväri

voleur ravisseur

pljačkaš

rabló

ræningi

ladrone rapinatore ladro

強盗

강도

грабитель грабительница

lupič

ropar

rånare

โจร

soyguncu

kẻ cướp

强盗盗贼

robber

[ˈrɒbəʳ]

A. N → ladrón/ona m/f; (= bankrobber) → atracador(a) m/f; (= highwayman) → salteador m (de caminos); (= brigand) → bandido m

B. CPD robber baron N (pej) → magnate mf desaprensivo/a

Collins Spanish Dictionary - Complete and Unabridged 8th Edition 2005 © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1971, 1988 © HarperCollins Publishers 1992, 1993, 1996, 1997, 2000, 2003, 2005

robber

[ˈrɒbə^r] n → bandit m, voleur m

Collins English/French Electronic Resource. © HarperCollins Publishers 2005

robber

n → Räuber(in) m(f)

Collins German Dictionary – Complete and Unabridged 7th Edition 2005. © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1980 © HarperCollins Publishers 1991, 1997, 1999, 2004, 2005, 2007

robber

[ˈrɒbəʳ] n → ladro/a; (armed) → rapinatore/trice

rob

(rob) – past tense, past participle robbed – verb

1. to steal from (a person, place etc). He robbed a bank / an old lady; I've been robbed!

2. (with of) to take (something) away from; to deprive of. An accident robbed him of his sight at the age of 21.

ˈrobber noun

The bank robbers got away with nearly $50,000.

ˈrobbery – plural ˈrobberies – noun

the act of robbing. Robbery is a serious crime; He was charged with four robberies.

to rob a bank or a person; to steal a watch, pencil, money etc.

robber

→ سَارِق zloděj røver Räuber κλέφτης atracador ryöstäjä voleur pljačkaš rapinatore 強盗 강도 overvaller raner rabuś ladrão грабитель rånare โจร soyguncu kẻ cướp 强盗

Mentioned in

References in classic literature

She must have been fed on nut-kernels," said the old female robber, who had a long, scrubby beard, and bushy eyebrows that hung down over her eyes.

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``We shall see that presently,'' said the robber; and, speaking to his companions, he added, ``bring along the knave.

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A ROBBER who had plundered a Merchant of one thousand pieces of gold was taken before the Cadi, who asked him if he had anything to say why he should not be decapitated.

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When his father had gone, a robber passed by and saw the horse grazing without any one watching it, for of course he could not see the Hazel-nut child hidden in the grass.

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In and out of the hive long black robber bees smeared with honey fly timidly and shiftily.

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"He is a bloody robber," said the trader, curtly, "and I wish I saw him kicking at the end of a halter."

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"On the contrary," broke in Ralph, "I hope we may put our hands on the robber. Skilful detectives have been sent to all the principal ports of America and the Continent, and he'll be a clever fellow if he slips through their fingers."

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"Lookyhere, Huck, being rich ain't going to keep me back from turning robber."

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Despite the fact that every robber was keen to rob every other robber, the band was well organized.

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'Stop, you white-livered hound!' cried the robber, shouting after Toby Crackit, who, making the best use of his long legs, was already ahead.

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'Why, I see a table spread with all kinds of good things, and robbers sitting round it making merry.'

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We had been travelling for about a month, when one day we saw a cloud of dust moving swiftly towards us; and as soon as it came near, we found that the dust concealed a band of fifty robbers. Our men barely numbered half, and as we were also hampered by the camels, there was no use in fighting, so we tried to overawe them by informing them who we were, and whither we were going.

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