v., robbed, rob·bing, robs. v.tr.
- Law. To take property from (a person) illegally by using or threatening to use violence or force; commit robbery upon.
- To take valuable or desired articles unlawfully from: rob a bank.
- To deprive unjustly of something belonging to, desired by, or legally due (someone): robbed her of her professional standing.
- To deprive of something injuriously: a parasite that robs a tree of its sap.
- To take as booty; steal.
To engage in or commit robbery.
idioms:
rob (someone) blind
- To rob in an unusually deceitful or thorough way: robbed the old couple blind while employed as a companion.
- To have a romantic or sexual relationship with someone significantly younger than oneself.
[Middle English robben, from Old French rober, of Germanic origin.]
robber rob'ber n.
The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition Copyright © 2007, 2000 by Houghton Mifflin Company. Updated in 2009. Published by Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.
