apprehend

American  

[ap-ri-hend] / ˌæp rɪˈhɛnd /

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.

3. to expect with anxiety, suspicion, or fear; anticipate.

   apprehending violence.

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verb (used without object)

1. to understand.

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

apprehend British  

/ ˌæprɪˈhɛnd /

verb

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

2. to perceive or grasp mentally; understand

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

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Other Word Forms

• apprehender noun
• reapprehend verb
• unapprehended adjective
• unapprehending adjective

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”)

Example Sentences

We must all reexamine our beliefs in a critical and dispassionate spirit to determine whether we are apprehending reality or clinging to mental fetishes.

From Salon

ICE agents were able to apprehend Mr. Flores-Ruiz as he tried to flee on foot in the street outside the courthouse.

From The Wall Street Journal

John McPhee, a punctilious user of reference material, has written that he mostly looks up words he already knows to better apprehend their nuances.

From The Wall Street Journal

He declined to provide details on how the suspect was found and apprehended.

From Los Angeles Times

For 30 years, this provision applied primarily to people apprehended at the border shortly after entering the country.

From Salon

Related Words

• bust
• capture
• seize