apprehend

[ ap-ri-hend ]

/ ˌæp rɪˈhɛnd /

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See synonyms for: apprehend / apprehending on Thesaurus.com

verb (used with object)

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)

to understand.

to be apprehensive, suspicious, or fearful; fear.

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Origin of apprehend

1350–1400; Middle English apprehenden<Latin apprehendere to grasp, equivalent to ap-ap-¹ + prehendere to seize (pre-pre- + -hendere to grasp)

OTHER WORDS FROM apprehend

ap·pre·hend·er, nounre·ap·pre·hend, verbun·ap·pre·hend·ed, adjectiveun·ap·pre·hend·ing, adjective

WORDS THAT MAY BE CONFUSED WITH apprehend

apprehend , comprehend

Words nearby apprehend

appreciable, appreciate, appreciation, appreciative, appreciatory, apprehend, apprehensible, apprehension, apprehensive, apprentice, apprenticeship

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

How to use apprehend in a sentence

Minimal police investigation into McCoy’s death meant a dearth of evidence, so that when two suspects were apprehended and finally prosecuted three years later, both men were ultimately acquitted.
How an unsolved murder and a public housing crisis led to Candyman|Aja Romano|August 27, 2021|Vox
It says that when Arlington Police initially attempted to apprehend Price, “he jumped off of a platform and ran into a subway tunnel towards the Pentagon Metro Station.”
Suspect charged in murder of trans woman in PG County apartment|Lou Chibbaro Jr.|July 22, 2021|Washington Blade
In 2020, 26 percent of migrants apprehended by Border Patrol had been caught more than once, compared to 7 percent the previous year.
The Texas GOP’s border wall fantasy|Nicole Narea|July 9, 2021|Vox
“The individual who appeared to possibly be under the influence was apprehended and removed from the roadway,” Ly said.
Person on Metro tracks prompts brief service suspension on three rail lines|Justin George|July 8, 2021|Washington Post

Officers from the Animal Welfare League of Alexandria “apprehended the snake” on Sunday after a caller said it was found near the 400 block of Gibbon Street, the organization said.
Rattlesnake found in Old Town Alexandria|Martin Weil|June 16, 2021|Washington Post
Somebody yanks Chan and elbows him and he is momentarily distracted trying to apprehend his assailant.
Protesters Slimed This Good Samaritan Cop|Michael Daly|December 16, 2014|DAILY BEAST
In the script I worked on, a man pursues a woman in order to apprehend her husband.
Alfred Hitchcock’s Fade to Black: The Great Director’s Final Days|David Freeman|December 13, 2014|DAILY BEAST
As the OSS pieced together the Operation Bernhard network, it made plans to apprehend those participants not already in custody.
On the Trail of Nazi Counterfeiters|Dr. Kevin C. Ruffner|September 20, 2014|DAILY BEAST
Boya Dee live-tweeted the moments after the attack when police arrived to apprehend the suspects—injuring both.
Rapper Live-Tweets London 'Terror' Attack|Brian Ries|May 22, 2013|DAILY BEAST
Finally, even if the court did decide to pursue charges, it would be unable to apprehend wanted suspects.
Who's Afraid Of The ICC?|Mark Leon Goldberg|November 28, 2012|DAILY BEAST
She began to look with her own eyes; to see and to apprehend the deeper undercurrents of life.
The Awakening and Selected Short Stories|Kate Chopin
Angels have a constitution which distinguishes them from man, yet with him they apprehend the authority of the one moral law.
The Ordinance of Covenanting|John Cunningham
Though Richard could not fail to apprehend the implied dismissal, he was minded at first to disregard it.
Mistress Wilding|Rafael Sabatini
He had his uncle's revolver with him, but there was little reason to apprehend danger from wild beasts.
Gold-Seeking on the Dalton Trail|Arthur R. Thompson
A God who enjoys a power which nothing in the world can resist, can He apprehend that His intentions could be thwarted?
Superstition In All Ages (1732)|Jean Meslier

British Dictionary definitions for apprehend

apprehend

/ (ˌæprɪˈhɛnd) /

verb

(tr) to arrest and escort into custody; seize

to perceive or grasp mentally; understand

(tr) to await with fear or anxiety; dread

Word Origin for apprehend

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

apprehend

Origin of apprehend

OTHER WORDS FROM apprehend

WORDS THAT MAY BE CONFUSED WITH apprehend

Words nearby apprehend

Words related to apprehend

How to use apprehend in a sentence

British Dictionary definitions for apprehend

Word Origin for apprehend