apprehend

American  

[ap-ri-hend] / ˌæp rɪˈhɛnd /

verb (used with object)

1. to take into custody; arrest by legal warrant or authority.

   The police apprehended the burglars.

2. to grasp the meaning of; understand, especially intuitively; perceive.

3. to expect with anxiety, suspicion, or fear; anticipate.

   apprehending violence.

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verb (used without object)

1. to understand.

2. to be apprehensive, suspicious, or fearful; fear.

apprehend British  

/ ˌæprɪˈhɛnd /

verb

1. (tr) to arrest and escort into custody; seize

2. to perceive or grasp mentally; understand

3. (tr) to await with fear or anxiety; dread

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Other Word Forms

• apprehender noun
• reapprehend verb
• unapprehended adjective
• unapprehending adjective

Etymology

Origin of apprehend

First recorded in 1350–1400; Middle English apprehenden, from Latin apprehendere “to grasp,” from ap- ap- ¹ + prehendere “to seize” (from pre-, prae- pre- + -hendere “to grasp”)

Example Sentences

Most of the orders involved individuals apprehended in immigration sweeps who judges had decided weren’t subject to mandatory detention and should quickly be given a bond hearing or released.

From The Wall Street Journal

Lemon’s attorney, Abbe Lowell, said Lemon was in Los Angeles to cover the upcoming Grammy Awards when he was apprehended in a hotel lobby late Thursday night.

From Salon

Working with the FBI in Mexico, Mexican authorities, and the Orange County district attorney’s office, investigators tracked Lira to a home south of the border where she was apprehended.

From Los Angeles Times

“If the U.S. government is unilaterally going into a sovereign country and apprehending somebody, you can understand the concern that sovereign entity might have,” Colombo told reporters outside the courthouse on Tuesday.

From The Wall Street Journal

He was apprehended at the airport in Colombo before boarding a flight to Dubai, and spent a few weeks in detention before being granted bail.

From Barron's

Related Words

• bust
• capture
• seize