What does "nab" mean?
The summit of a hill.
Nab
/næb/ name, noun, verb, slang
name, noun, verb, slang ·Common ·High school level
Meaning at a glance
- Primary sense: The summit of a hill.
- Grammar: nab is listed as name, noun, verb, slang.
- Nearest alternatives: apprehend, arrest, apprehend, apprehension.
- Useful contrasts: free, liberate, lose.
- Usage evidence: Slow down. Cops like to nab people up there.
How to use "nab"
- Start with the primary definition, then check the part of speech before placing the word in a sentence.
- Compare nearby synonyms to make sure "nab" carries the exact meaning, tone, and strength you need.
- Use the example sentence as a context check. If your sentence uses the word differently, confirm that the grammar still fits.
Meaning check
- Does the word fit the sentence's grammar?
- Does it match the intended tone rather than only the dictionary definition?
- Would a simpler synonym be clearer for the reader?
- Is there enough surrounding context to prevent ambiguity?
Source and review context
This entry combines structured lexical data with WordToolSet review checks. Definitions, examples, synonyms, and usage notes may come from different source tables, so the page is designed to show evidence from more than one angle before you rely on "nab" in a final draft.
If a word has several senses, prefer the sense that matches your sentence's grammar and surrounding context. A correct definition can still be the wrong choice when the sentence needs a different register, emphasis, or level of specificity.
Before you rely on this definition
Read the first definition as a starting point, then check the example, synonyms, and part of speech before treating "nab" as the right word for your sentence.
If your draft is formal, technical, persuasive, or sensitive, compare "nab" with a nearby alternative so the final choice matches both meaning and reader expectation.
Compare nearby meanings
- Use synonyms when you need a softer, stronger, simpler, or more specific word.
- Use antonyms to check the boundary of the meaning and avoid accidental contrast.
- Use the example sentence to confirm the word behaves naturally in context.
- Keep the original wording when a replacement adds complexity without improving precision.
Definition decision workflow
1. Identify the role
Check whether "nab" is acting as name, noun, verb, slang in your sentence. A definition is only useful when the grammar matches the way the word is being used.
2. Test the nearest option
Compare it with "apprehend" and other nearby choices to see whether the sentence needs a softer, stronger, or more familiar word.
3. Confirm with context
Use the example sentence below as an evidence check, then read your own sentence out loud to catch tone or rhythm problems.
Review note: Definition pages are checked for source coverage, sentence evidence, synonym support, and editorial insight before they are treated as approval-ready pages. If the evidence is too thin, the page remains available to users but is kept out of the approval-facing indexed inventory.
Final meaning check
Before publishing a sentence with "nab", ask whether the word helps the reader understand the idea faster. A precise word should reduce confusion, not simply make the sentence look more polished.
When the definition, synonym evidence, and example context point in the same direction, the word is usually a safer choice. When they conflict, revise the sentence or choose a clearer alternative.
Definitions
Noun
- 1 The summit of a hill.
"At Clayton point and other nabs to the south of Scarborough."
- 2 The cock of a gunlock.
"The Toe, or Nab of the Bolt, which rises[…]above the Straight on the Top of the Bolt: The Office of this Nab, is to receive the Bottom of the Bit of the Key, when in turning it about, it shoots the Bolt backward or forwards."
- 3 The keeper, or box into which the lock is shot.
"the Bottom of the Bit may fall almost to the Bottom of the Nab , and shoot the Bolt back"
Verb
- 1 To seize, arrest or take into custody (a criminal or fugitive). informal, transitive
"As I was going out of the door, a fellow detective came hurriedly in. "Nabbed them," cried he."
- 2 seize suddenly wordnet
- 3 To grab or snatch something. informal, transitive
- 4 take into custody wordnet
- 5 To steal or copy another user's post. Internet, transitive
Show 1 more definition
- 6 tag the base runner to get them out wordnet
Proper Noun
- 1 Initialism of National Australia Bank. abbreviation, alt-of, initialism
- 2 Initialism of National Association of Broadcasters. abbreviation, alt-of, initialism
- 3 Abbreviation of National Accountability Bureau. Pakistan, abbreviation, alt-of
Example
"Slow down. Cops like to nab people up there."
Common questions
What is a synonym for "nab"?
Common synonyms include: apprehend, arrest, apprehend, apprehension, arrest, arrestation.
How do you use "nab" in a sentence?
Slow down. Cops like to nab people up there.
How do you pronounce "nab"?
Pronounced /næb/.
Etymology
Etymology 1
From dialectal nap (“to seize, lay hold of”), probably of North Germanic origin, from Old Swedish nappa (“to pluck, pinch”). Related to Danish nappe (“to tweak, snatch at, catch, seize”), Swedish nappa (“to take, grab, pinch”), Norwegian Bokmål nappe (“to grab, snatch, pluck, yank”).
Etymology 2
Compare knap, knop, knob.