rob

rob — verb

1. To steal cash or belongings from a victim or a place by threatening harm or by e

1.verbtransitiveB1
Definition

To steal cash or belongings from a victim or a place by threatening harm or by entering illegally.

Example

Two men robbed the gas station on Seventh Avenue and fled in a red car.

active voice: rob + specific place

The jewelry store was robbed by a thief who threatened the security guard.

passive: be robbed by + agent

Common collocations
  • rob a bank
  • rob a store
  • rob a house
  • rob someone at gunpoint
  • rob someone blind
Synonyms
  • steal from

    broader; does not imply force or breaking in

  • burgle

    specific to entering a building; less violent

  • loot

    widespread taking during chaos or disaster

Antonyms

Grammar Patterns

rob + person/place

rob + person + of + stolen item

Usage Note

Takes a person, place, or institution as its direct object — never the item taken. To name what was stolen, use the pattern 'rob + person/place + of + thing' (e.g., 'robbed her of her purse'). Contrast with 'steal', which takes the stolen item as its object.

Common Mistakes

The thief robbed my money.
The thief stole my money.' or 'The thief robbed me of my money.
'Rob' takes the victim or location as the object, not the stolen item.

2. To unfairly or painfully prevent someone from having something they deserve, exp

2.verbtransitive / intransitiveB2
Definition

To unfairly or painfully prevent someone from having something they deserve, expect, or badly want — such as a fair result, an opportunity, or peace.

Example

Kemi felt the accident robbed her of the chance to compete in the Olympics.

active: rob + person + of + abstract chance

Fans were robbed of a fair match when the referee made several bad calls.

passive: be robbed of + abstract noun phrase (fair match)

Common collocations
  • robbed of sleep
  • robbed of a chance
  • robbed of victory
  • robbed of the opportunity
  • robbed of one's rights
Synonyms
  • deprive of

    more formal and neutral; less emotional

  • deny

    broader; can mean refusing to give rather than taking

  • strip of

    suggests complete removal with a sense of loss

Antonyms
  • grant

    to give what is deserved or wanted

  • provide

    to supply what someone needs

Grammar Patterns

be robbed of + abstract noun

rob + person + of + abstract thing

Usage Note

Almost always used in the passive voice ('be robbed of'). The subject is a person or group, and the thing taken away must be non-physical — an opportunity, a right, peace, a fair outcome.

Common Mistakes

The noise robbed my sleep.
The noise robbed me of my sleep.
This sense requires the preposition 'of' to link the person and the thing taken away.

3. To charge someone far too much money for a product or service, often in a dishon

3.verbtransitiveB2
Definition

To charge someone far too much money for a product or service, often in a dishonest or unfair way.

Example

Rafael said the taxi driver completely robbed him on the way to the airport.

informal: rob + person for a service

That shop near the square will rob you if you do not check the prices.

Common collocations
  • rob someone blind (informal)
  • get robbed (informal)
  • completely robbed
  • totally robbed
Synonyms
  • overcharge

    more neutral and slightly formal; the standard term

  • rip off

    same level of informality; very common in conversation

  • fleece

    less common; suggests deliberate trickery

Antonyms

Grammar Patterns

rob + person

get robbed (passive, informal)

Usage Note

An informal usage common in spoken English. The object is always the person being overcharged, not the money. 'Get robbed' is a fixed expression for feeling cheated by a bad price.

Common Mistakes

The restaurant robbed $50 from me.
The restaurant robbed me.' or 'The restaurant overcharged me by $50.
When 'rob' means overcharge, the object is the person, not the money.
Phrasal verbs

rob of

phrasal verb

To take something valuable away from someone, such as an opportunity or quality.

The injury robbed the athlete of her chance to compete in the Olympics.

His fear of failure robbed him of the joy of trying new things.

Idioms

rob somebody blind

idiom

To cheat someone and take all their money or possessions.

The dishonest accountant robbed his clients blind over many years.

Be careful with online deals; scammers can rob you blind quickly.

rob the cradle

idiom

To have a romantic or sexual relationship with someone who is much younger.

When Diego dated a woman twenty years younger, friends joked he was robbing the cradle.

Is it fair to say she robbed the cradle by marrying a man half her age?

rob Peter to pay Paul

idiom

To take money from one source to pay a debt to another, often causing a new problem.

Using savings to pay the credit card bill is just robbing Peter to pay Paul.

The company robbed Peter to pay Paul by delaying supplier payments to meet payroll.

Word family

Synonym discussion

Sense: verb/1

All four words describe taking something that does not belong to you, but they differ in how and from whom. 'Steal' is the broadest term — you can steal money, an idea, or a base in baseball, and the taking may be secret or open. 'Rob' specifically targets a person or place using force or threat. 'Burgle' (or 'burglarize' in American English) means stealing from a building by breaking in, typically when no one is present. 'Loot' describes chaotic taking during war, riots, or natural disasters, often from multiple locations. 'Mug' means to rob someone in a public place using physical violence. For example: 'Someone stole her phone from the table' (unnoticed), 'They robbed the bank at gunpoint' (force against a place), 'Burglars broke in and burgled the house' (building break-in), 'Crowds looted the electronics store during the protest' (chaos), and 'A stranger mugged him in the park' (public violence against a person).

steal ↗burglelootmug ↗

Common collocations

Nouns

Adverbs

Phrases

Prepositions

Etymology

Proto-GermanicFrankishOld FrenchMiddle EnglishEnglish

The word 'rob' entered English from Old French 'rober', meaning 'to steal, plunder, take away'. The French word came from Frankish 'raubon', which traces back to a Proto-Germanic root 'raubōną' ('to steal, to break'). This same ancient root also gave English the words 'robe' (originally meaning 'booty, stolen clothes') and 'robbery'. The sense of 'overcharging' developed in informal American English around the early 1900s.