rob
v.v. to take money or property from a person or place by using force or threats. You use this when someone is a victim of a crime, usually involving a weapon or a scary situation.
v. to take property from a person or place illegally by using force or the threat of violence. Transitive; requires a direct object representing the victim or the location rather than the stolen goods.
Two men tried to rob the local bank yesterday morning.
The thieves managed to rob the jewelry store in broad daylight while the security guard was on a break.
Historians argue whether the legendary figure intended to rob the rich to support the poor or if he was simply a common thief operating in the forest.
The verb is transitive. It takes the person or place as the direct object; the items taken are introduced with the preposition 'of'.
He robbed my phoneHe stole my phoneYou rob a person or a place (the victim), but you steal an object (the property).
- 01
rob Peter to pay Paul
To use resources that legitimately belong to or are needed by one party in order to satisfy a legitimate need of another party, especially within the same organization or group; to solve a problem in a way that makes another problem worse, producing no net gain.
- 02
rob the cradle
To marry or become romantically involved with a much younger person, especially one from a younger generation.