Cop
Cop verb - To take physical control or possession of (something) suddenly or forcibly.
Usage example: some concertgoers rush pell-mell through the doors so that they could cop the seats down front
Nab
Nab verb - To take physical control or possession of (something) suddenly or forcibly.
Usage example: a pickpocket nabbed my wallet
Mutual synonyms
Both words in one sentence
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Becoming the Mask: Elise was a cop at one point and she was assigned to go undercover to nab Alexander Pearce.
Source: Film / The Tourist - A lot of cop shows/movies like to throw a cop and a civilian together so that the civilian can work around the annoying rules and the cop can nab the bad guy officially.
Source: Cops Need the Vigilante -
The episode "The Blackout" has Manny consuming too many espressos while watching cop shows, leading him to chase a purse snatcher, be mistaken for a plainclothes policeman, and sit in on an interrogation (and nab a confession through his unconventional Good Cop/Bad Cop performance).
Source: Intoxication Ensues
Cite this Source
Nab and Cop. (2016). Retrieved 2026, July 21, from https://thesaurus.plus/related/cop/nab
Cop & Nab. N.p., 2016. Web. 21 Jul. 2026. <https://thesaurus.plus/related/cop/nab>.
Nab or Cop. 2016. Accessed July 21, 2026. https://thesaurus.plus/related/cop/nab.
Google Ngram Viewer shows how "cop" and "nab" have occurred on timeline