apprehend

[ ap-ri-hend ]
See synonyms for: apprehendapprehending on Thesaurus.com

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.

  1. to expect with anxiety, suspicion, or fear; anticipate: apprehending violence.

verb (used without object)
  1. to understand.

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

Origin of apprehend

1
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”)

Other words from apprehend

  • ap·pre·hend·er, noun
  • re·ap·pre·hend, verb
  • un·ap·pre·hend·ed, adjective
  • un·ap·pre·hend·ing, adjective

Words that may be confused with apprehend

Words Nearby apprehend

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2024

How to use apprehend in a sentence

British Dictionary definitions for apprehend

apprehend

/ (ˌæprɪˈhɛnd) /


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

  2. to perceive or grasp mentally; understand

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

Origin of apprehend

1
C14: from Latin apprehendere to lay hold of

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012