arrest

American  

[uh-rest] / əˈrɛst /

verb (used with object)

• arrests,
  present (3rd person singular)
• arrested,
  past participle,  past
• arresting
  present participle

1. to seize (a person) by legal authority or warrant; take into custody.

   The police arrested the burglar.

   Synonyms:

   apprehend

2. to catch and hold; attract and fix; engage.

   The loud noise arrested our attention.

   Synonyms:

   occupy, rivet, secure

3. to check the course of; stop; slow down.

   to arrest progress.

   Synonyms:

   stay

4. Medicine/Medical. to control or stop the active progress of (a disease).

   The new drug did not arrest the cancer.

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noun

• arrests
  plural

1. the taking of a person into legal custody, as by officers of the law.

   Synonyms:

   imprisonment, apprehension, detention

2. any seizure or taking by force.

3. an act of stopping or the state of being stopped.

   the arrest of tooth decay.

   Synonyms:

   check, stay, halt, stoppage

4. Machinery. any device for stopping machinery; stop.

idioms

1. under arrest, in custody of the police or other legal authorities.

   They placed the suspect under arrest at the scene of the crime.

arrest British  

/ əˈrɛst /

verb

1. to deprive (a person) of liberty by taking him into custody, esp under lawful authority

2. to seize (a ship) under lawful authority

3. to slow or stop the development or progress of (a disease, growth, etc)

4. to catch and hold (one's attention, sight, etc)

5. law to stay proceedings after a verdict, on the grounds of error or possible error

6. informal (of a performer) is unrecognized and unsuccessful

   he can't get arrested here but is a megastar in the States

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noun

1. the act of taking a person into custody, esp under lawful authority

2. the act of seizing and holding a ship under lawful authority

3. the state of being held, esp under lawful authority

   under arrest

4. Also called: arrestation.  the slowing or stopping of the development or progress of something

5. the stopping or sudden cessation of motion of something

   a cardiac arrest

arrest More Idioms  

1. see under arrest.

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Usage

What does arrest mean? To arrest someone is to seize them or take them into custody with authority. Related to that, an arrest is the act of police or other law enforcement officials detaining someone suspected of committing a crime when there is probable cause. Arrest can also more generally mean to attract and engage, such as with attention or sight. For example, a loud clap of thunder might arrest your attention for a moment, if you weren’t expecting it. Arrest also means to slow or stop, such as with progress or growth. You might, for example, arrest the growth of a plant by keeping it in the dark while continuing to water it. Such an arrest could lead the plant to die. Example: You are under arrest for conspiracy to commit grand theft auto.

Synonym Usage

See stop.

Other Word Forms

Derived Forms

• arrestment
  noun
• prearrestment
  noun
• prearrest
  verb (used with object)
• rearrest
  verb (used with object)
• arrestable
  adjective
• postarrest
  adjective
• unarrestable
  adjective
• unarrested
  adjective

Inflected Forms

Nouns

• arrests
  plural

Participles

• arresting
  present
• arrested
  past

Conjugated Forms

Present

• arrest
  simple
• arrests
  simple
• have arrested
  perfect
• has arrested
  perfect
• am arresting
  progressive
• are arresting
  progressive
• is arresting
  progressive
• have been arresting
  perfect progressive
• has been arresting
  perfect progressive

Past

• arrested
  simple
• had arrested
  perfect
• was arresting
  progressive
• were arresting
  progressive
• had been arresting
  perfect progressive

Future

• will arrest
  simple
• will have arrested
  perfect
• will be arresting
  progressive
• will have been arresting
  perfect progressive

Etymology

Origin of arrest

1275–1325; (v.) Middle English aresten < Anglo-French, Middle French arester, < Vulgar Latin *arrestāre to stop ( see ar-, rest ²); (noun) Middle English arest ( e ) < Anglo-French, Old French, noun derivative of v.

Explanation

To arrest someone is to put them in custody for breaking the law. If you face arrest, your criminal activities will be "at rest" because you'll be behind bars, or in jail. Arrest is both a noun and a verb. When you place a person "under arrest," you take them into custody and hold them so they can’t continue breaking the law. A police officer or other agent of the law will arrest a person often by physically taking them away. In addition to the legal meaning, arrest means "stop." To arrest motion is to stop a person or thing from moving.

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

arrest arrests arrested arresting

In a phone call with The Times from jail, his first interview since his arrest, Marset fumed about the case.

From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 23, 2026

After pulling Garces Perez over, an agent told him he was under arrest.

From Slate ● Sep. 23, 2026

MP for Foyle, Colum Eastwood, welcomed Anderson's arrest and said "confidence has been damaged in the institutions involved".

From BBC ● Sep. 23, 2026

Agents sifted through hundreds of thousands of records seized during Kao’s arrest and found that many were consistent with his account of widespread influence peddling.

From Salon ● Sep. 23, 2026

The law stated that a passport “shall not be issued to an applicant subject to a federal arrest warrant or subpoena for any matter involving a felony.”

From "Endgame" by Frank Brady

The authors, Jason Robey of the University of Iowa and Michael Light of the University of Wisconsin, analyzed data on crimes, arrests and prison admissions between 2000 and 2019.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 22, 2026

"Today's multi-location and international arrests underscore the FBI's continued commitment to bringing all participants in this plot to justice," FBI special agent Brett Skiles said on X.

From BBC ● Sep. 21, 2026

In some cases the agency has detained U.S. citizens as part of its program of arrests.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 20, 2026

Officers monitor suspects from above, then their colleagues are directed to move in on foot to make seizures and arrests.

From BBC ● Sep. 17, 2026

If anything, they encouraged Alice Paul and her allies to stage more provocative protests that attracted larger crowds and led to more arrests.

From "Votes for Women!" by Winifred Conkling

The police will now try to establish whether the people arrested include victims of human trafficking.

From BBC ● Sep. 24, 2026

One of the more than 60 reported victims of Daejon Love’s alleged schemes alerted the 49ers eight months before he was arrested.

From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 23, 2026

Kao boosted Navatek’s annual revenue from $10 million around the time Loui sold him the company to almost $40 million when he was arrested in 2020.

From Salon ● Sep. 23, 2026

An Garda Síochána asid they arrested a man, aged in his 20s, in Donegal as "part of a planned operation".

From BBC ● Sep. 23, 2026

Heinck was the next one to be arrested.

From Nazi Saboteurs by Samantha Seiple

The lawyers asked that Frimpong bar immigration agents from arresting people in the district unless they’ve conducted an escape risk analysis.

From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 16, 2026

Macron has been pushing for French children to spend less time in front of screens, which the government fears is arresting their development.

From Barron's ● Sep. 1, 2026

The solution, the IMF says: “Fiscal stimulus should be focused on durably boosting consumption by investing in people” and arresting the property bust.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 28, 2026

In a podcast, Mansour spoke about how in the 1970s and 1980s soldiers would confiscate posters and postcards, arresting the sellers.

From BBC ● Aug. 26, 2026

Everything I told them, and they’re not arresting him?

From "The Hate U Give" by Angie Thomas

Related Words

• apprehend
• capture
• catch
• detain
• imprison
• incarcerate
• jail
• round up
• seize