What does rob mean?
Rob means to take money or property from someone, especially by force, threat, or deception, as in 'he tried to rob a bank.' It can also refer to depriving a person or organization of something valuable, including the figurative loss of money caused by excessive costs or unfair treatment. The phrase 'rob someone of something' is particularly common: a fraud may rob customers of their savings, or a policy may rob families of access to essential care. The word carries a firm and often alarming connotation because theft is usually associated with crime, danger, and violation of trust. In extended senses, it can describe financial exploitation or severe economic disadvantage. Its vocabulary relatives include robber, robbery, robbed, and robbing, while related forms in other Germanic languages reflect the word's origins in the language of plunder and seizure.
verbTo take property from someone or something by force, threat, or deception; to deprive someone of something they possess. It can also mean to overcharge or exploit someone financially.
- To take money or property from a person, institution, or place by force, threat, or deception.
- To deprive someone of something valuable or necessary.
- To overcharge or exploit someone financially.
- To rob someone blind, meaning to take an unusually large amount of money or property from someone.
"The thief tried to rob the jewelry store, but the alarm sounded before he could escape."
"A masked man attempted to rob a train in the early hours of the morning."
"Years of excessive fees robbed small businesses of much of their income."
The word rob comes from an Old French word rooted in Germanic traditions of plunder, so its history is literally a story of taking by force.
Reviewed by Deb Chak, Editor. AI-assisted content curated by RJS Tech Solutions LLP.
Where does rob come from?
The English verb comes through Old French rober, from a Germanic source related to words meaning to take by force or plunder. The same broad Germanic root appears in forms such as German rauben and Dutch roven. English later developed robber and robbery from this root, reflecting both the person who takes by force and the act of taking property unlawfully.
Related word forms
How rob is actually used
Rob is strongly associated with theft and violence, although it can be used figuratively for systematic financial exploitation. The construction 'rob someone of something' is standard; 'rob from someone' is also possible but is less typical in formal usage.
Easily confused with rob
To rob is to take property by force or deception, whereas to rub is to move something back and forth against a surface.
This entry concerns the verb meaning to steal or deprive; it does not refer to the separate, less common noun use in which a robbery or robber is meant.