Understanding the Correct Usage of the Verb Rob
The verb rob describes the act of stealing something (e.g. money or property) from a person, bank, or other entity. While this definition is straightforward, confusion often arises over what can serve as the object of the verb. Learners frequently write incorrect sentences such as:
❌ He robbed my money.
❌ The man robbed the woman's belongings.
These sentences are understandable but grammatically incorrect. The verb rob is used with the person or place that items are taken from, rather than the items themselves. Here are the corrected versions:
✅ He robbed me of my money.
✅ The man robbed the woman of her belongings.
The key structure to remember is rob [someone/something] of [something]. In this structure, [someone/something] is the victim (the person or place), and [something] is the item taken.
Let's look at more examples to clarify the correct usage:
✅ Last night, someone robbed Emma of her jewellery. (Explanation: Emma is the person from whom the jewellery was stolen.)
✅ The burglars robbed the bank of several million dollars. (Explanation: The bank is the entity from which the money was taken.)
✅ The shop was robbed of a couple of expensive handbags. (Explanation: The shop is the place from which the handbags were stolen.)
Common Mistakes and How to Avoid Them
To avoid misusing rob, always identify the victim (the person or place suffering the loss) and what was taken from them. Do not use rob followed directly by the stolen item without indicating the victim:
❌ The thief robbed diamonds.
✅ The thief robbed the store of diamonds.
❌ The man robbed her wallet.
✅ The man robbed her of her wallet.
❌ They robbed our mobile phones during the party.
✅ They robbed us of our mobile phones during the party.
❌ She was accused of robbing a large sum of money.
✅ She was accused of robbing the business of a large sum of money.
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| The entry for the verb rob in the Longman Dictionary of Contemporary English |
Examples from the Media
A 16-year-old charged with murder in the Wednesday fatal shooting of a man in a convenience store parking lot in Northeast Washington was there to rob people of money and drugs, according to newly filed court documents. —The Washington Post (2018)
After the man withdrew some money, the suspects started pushing him around. Two of them threatened the man with knives and robbed him of his money. —Toronto Star (2014)
He was armed with a gun and robbed the bank of an undisclosed amount of money, police said. —Daily Mail (2016)
An 89-year-old man has been robbed of hundreds of dollars after he was stalked for a kilometre in Toongabbie. —The Sydney Morning Herald (2020)
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