apprehend
Americanverb (used with object)
-
apprehends,
present (3rd person singular)
-
apprehended,
past participle, past
-
apprehending
present participle
-
to take into custody; arrest by legal warrant or authority.
The police apprehended the burglars.
-
to grasp the meaning of; understand, especially intuitively; perceive.
-
to expect with anxiety, suspicion, or fear; anticipate.
apprehending violence.
verb (used without object)
-
apprehends,
present (3rd person singular)
-
apprehended,
past participle, past
-
apprehending
present participle
-
to understand.
-
to be apprehensive, suspicious, or fearful; fear.
verb
-
(tr) to arrest and escort into custody; seize
-
to perceive or grasp mentally; understand
-
(tr) to await with fear or anxiety; dread
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Inflected Forms
Participles
Conjugated Forms
Present
-
apprehendsimple
-
apprehendssimple
-
have apprehendedperfect
-
has apprehendedperfect
-
am apprehendingprogressive
-
are apprehendingprogressive
-
is apprehendingprogressive
-
have been apprehendingperfect progressive
-
has been apprehendingperfect progressive
Past
-
apprehendedsimple
-
had apprehendedperfect
-
was apprehendingprogressive
-
were apprehendingprogressive
-
had been apprehendingperfect progressive
Future
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”)
Explanation
To apprehend is to capture or arrest, as when the police try to apprehend criminals and bring them to justice. You also apprehend a concept when you understand it, grasping or capturing its meaning. The verb apprehend has remained much the same since the original Latin, both in form and meaning. It comes from apprehendere, "to grasp or seize." The word came to refer to learning — "grasping or seizing with the mind" — but then came to mean "seize in the name of the law" or "arrest" around the 1540s, a meaning that remains to this day. The word can also be used to suggest an anxious feeling about something about to happen.
Vocabulary lists containing apprehend
Romeo and Juliet
Looking to grow your vocabulary? Check out this interactive, curated word list from our team of English language specialists at Vocabulary.com – one of over 17,000 lists we've built to help learners worldwide!
"A Modest Proposal" by Jonathan Swift
Interested in learning more words like this one? Our team at Vocabulary.com has got you covered! You can review flashcards, quiz yourself, practice spelling, and more – and it's all completely free to use!
"Sorry, Wrong Number," Vocabulary from the play
Want to remember this word for good? Start your learning journey today with our library of interactive, themed word lists built by the experts at Vocabulary.com – we'll help you make the most of your study time!
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.
See Examples For:
"Every effort is being made to identify and apprehend the perpetrators of the attack," the spokesman said.
From Barron's ● May 23, 2026
The cantonal public prosecutor's office has opened a criminal investigation, which is ongoing to try and apprehend the perpetrators, it said.
From Barron's ● May 23, 2026
The interior ministry statement said in a statement translated from Arabic: "Security forces immediately launched an operation to apprehend the perpetrators, acting on precise intelligence and through intensive field operations, tracking the kidnappers' movements."
From BBC ● Mar. 31, 2026
In January, Yemen’s Interior Ministry re-upped a request to its Emirati counterpart to apprehend Al-Maqtari and his associates.
From Los Angeles Times ● Mar. 30, 2026
“That’s the man, wrapped in the cloak. His name is Abel Magwitch, otherwise Provis. I apprehend that man, and call upon him to surrender, and you to assist.”
From "Great Expectations" by Charles Dickens
Porzak, a gifted photographer, apprehends the world visually, but to reach her mother as she slipped in and out of a coma, she used sound.
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 2, 2022
The Border Patrol apprehends migrants who cross the border unlawfully.
From New York Times ● Aug. 18, 2020
The Border Patrol apprehends people entering the U.S. illegally, both directly at the U.S.-Mexico border and with its series of highway checkpoints miles from the border.
From Seattle Times ● Jul. 23, 2019
Curtis Smiley, says Currier apprehends a high volume of violators and despite his effectiveness as a warden, he remains highly respected as a member of the sporting community.
From Washington Times ● Jun. 1, 2016
Volkheimer switches off the light, and Werner apprehends something excruciating held at bay there in the darkness.
From "All the Light We Cannot See" by Anthony Doerr
On Wednesday, in a local Sydney court, prosecutors withdrew the charges after it was agreed that Ahmed would abide by an apprehended domestic violence order for 12 months, limiting his contact with his father.
From BBC ● Aug. 12, 2026
"While we are still investigating the motives of this individual, we are thankful he was apprehended before the President's visit," First Assistant US Attorney Bill Essayli said in a statement late Tuesday.
From Barron's ● Aug. 5, 2026
State correctional officials said since 1977, nearly all people who have escaped or walked away from an adult institution, camp, in-state contract bed or community-based program placement have been apprehended.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 17, 2026
Authorities said the poaching suspects were apprehended “recently” but did not give a specific date for the operation.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 14, 2026
I had forgotten my own selfinterrogations pushed upon me by my mother, or rather I had not yet apprehended their deeper, lifelong meaning.
From "Between the World and Me" by Ta-Nehisi Coates
Federal immigration agents fanned across the city, apprehending workers at car washes, garment businesses, Home Depots and other locations.
From Los Angeles Times ● May 27, 2026
Sir Mark said that "apprehending violent and dangerous criminals is a full contact and messy task which may appear shocking to observers with little experience of policing in the real world".
From BBC ● Apr. 30, 2026
The viral photograph of federal authorities apprehending little Liam Conejo Ramos in his bunny ear beanie and Spider-Man backpack stunned viewers across the country, filling them with horror and rage.
From Salon ● Mar. 2, 2026
“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 ● Jan. 29, 2026
He took a step toward me, then hesitated and glanced back at the cannon, obviously torn between apprehending me and being faithful to his cue.
From "The Shakespeare Stealer" by Gary L. Blackwood
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.
