rob Peter to pay Paul Definition

rob
verb robbed, robbing

1. To steal something from (a person or place), especially by force or threats.

Thesaurus: steal from, swindle, rip off (slang), hold up, gyp, defraud, cheat, sting (slang), skin (slang), fleece (slang); loot, raid, strip, ransack; Antonym: give, provide.
intr
2. To commit robbery.
3. To deprive someone of something expected as a right or due.

Derivative: robber
noun

Someone who robs; a thief.
Thesaurus: thief, burglar, con man, bandit, pirate, highwayman, brigand, kleptomaniac.

Derivative: robbing
noun

Idiom: rob Peter to pay Paul

To deprive one person of something in order to satisfy another.

To raise a loan in order to pay off a debt.

Etymology: 12c: from French rober.