arrest
Americanverb (used with object)
-
to seize (a person) by legal authority or warrant; take into custody.
The police arrested the burglar.
- Synonyms:
- apprehend
-
to catch and hold; attract and fix; engage.
The loud noise arrested our attention.
-
to check the course of; stop; slow down.
to arrest progress.
- Synonyms:
- stay
-
Medicine/Medical. to control or stop the active progress of (a disease).
The new drug did not arrest the cancer.
noun
-
the taking of a person into legal custody, as by officers of the law.
- Synonyms:
- imprisonment, apprehension, detention
-
any seizure or taking by force.
-
an act of stopping or the state of being stopped.
the arrest of tooth decay.
-
Machinery. any device for stopping machinery; stop.
idioms
verb
-
to deprive (a person) of liberty by taking him into custody, esp under lawful authority
-
to seize (a ship) under lawful authority
-
to slow or stop the development or progress of (a disease, growth, etc)
-
to catch and hold (one's attention, sight, etc)
-
law to stay proceedings after a verdict, on the grounds of error or possible error
-
informal (of a performer) is unrecognized and unsuccessful
he can't get arrested here but is a megastar in the States
noun
-
the act of taking a person into custody, esp under lawful authority
-
the act of seizing and holding a ship under lawful authority
-
the state of being held, esp under lawful authority
under arrest
-
Also called: arrestation. the slowing or stopping of the development or progress of something
-
the stopping or sudden cessation of motion of something
a cardiac arrest
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.
Related Words
See stop.
Other Word Forms
- arrestable adjective
- arrestment noun
- postarrest adjective
- prearrest verb (used with object)
- prearrestment noun
- rearrest verb (used with object)
- unarrestable adjective
- unarrested adjective
Etymology
Origin of arrest
1275–1325; (v.) Middle English aresten < Anglo-French, Middle French arester, < Vulgar Latin *arrestāre to stop ( ar-, rest 2 ); (noun) Middle English arest ( e ) < Anglo-French, Old French, noun derivative of v.
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
The two men were arrested by Belgian police before the flight carried on to Manchester just after 22:00 GMT on 12 February.
From BBC
Authorities served a search warrant at a home in Tucson on Friday night in connection with the disappearance of Nancy Guthrie but made no arrests.
From Los Angeles Times
Dran said investigations were continuing to identify the suspects but no arrests had yet been made.
From BBC
The suspect was arrested after a tip-off from the CIA before Swift's concert.
From BBC
After he was arrested, the 16-year-old boy shared footage of the attack with three people.
From BBC
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
