arrest
Americanverb (used with object)
-
arrests,
present (3rd person singular)
-
arrested,
past participle, past
-
arresting
present participle
-
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
-
arrests
plural
-
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.
Synonym Usage
See stop.
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
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arrestmentnoun
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prearrestmentnoun
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prearrestverb (used with object)
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rearrestverb (used with object)
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arrestableadjective
-
postarrestadjective
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unarrestableadjective
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unarrestedadjective
Inflected Forms
Nouns
Participles
Conjugated Forms
Present
-
arrestsimple
-
arrestssimple
-
have arrestedperfect
-
has arrestedperfect
-
am arrestingprogressive
-
are arrestingprogressive
-
is arrestingprogressive
-
have been arrestingperfect progressive
-
has been arrestingperfect progressive
Past
-
arrestedsimple
-
had arrestedperfect
-
was arrestingprogressive
-
were arrestingprogressive
-
had been arrestingperfect progressive
Future
Etymology
Origin of arrest
1275–1325; (v.) Middle English aresten < Anglo-French, Middle French arester, < Vulgar Latin *arrestāre to stop ( see ar-, rest 2); (noun) Middle English arest ( e ) < Anglo-French, Old French, noun derivative of v.
Explanation
To arrest someone is to put them in custody for breaking the law. If you face arrest, your criminal activities will be "at rest" because you'll be behind bars, or in jail. Arrest is both a noun and a verb. When you place a person "under arrest," you take them into custody and hold them so they can’t continue breaking the law. A police officer or other agent of the law will arrest a person often by physically taking them away. In addition to the legal meaning, arrest means "stop." To arrest motion is to stop a person or thing from moving.
Vocabulary lists containing arrest
Warm-up, List 1
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"Martin's Big Words: The Life of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr." and "I Have a Dream"
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"Harriet Tubman: Conductor on the Underground Railroad"
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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:
He’s struggled with the role since his dad’s arrest.
From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 11, 2026
As the months drag on since her husband’s arrest, Ortiz has scrambled to maintain a sense of normalcy in her family.
From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 11, 2026
Samel, who was the subject of an international arrest warrant, was kidnapped from his home in Raleigh Road, Handsworth, on 27 March 2019.
From BBC ● Oct. 9, 2026
PhillyUnsolvedMurders.com, where the fake tip was sent in, is a Philadelphia police website that lists unsolved homicides, takes tips on cases and offers a $20,000 reward for information that leads to an arrest.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 9, 2026
Not knowing that his arrest was imminent, and believing that his passport was legal, on July 13, 2004, he went to Narita Airport in Tokyo to board a plane bound for Manila.
From "Endgame" by Frank Brady
On Thursday, Arias said at a City Council meeting that the timing of the arrests was “not a coincidence” because it is harvest season in Fresno, a major agricultural hub.
From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 10, 2026
This follows a recent joint police and council crackdown, Operation Krypton, which led to hundreds of arrests.
From BBC ● Oct. 9, 2026
The arrests come after a major incident at RAF Fairford on September 27 that led to the arrest of seven men, all in their 20s.
From Barron's ● Oct. 8, 2026
Then there are the children who ICE arrests with one or both of their parents.
From Slate ● Oct. 8, 2026
“Didn’t you know I’m a VIP here? I get free ice cream, free coleslaw, free arrests, and all the free gold spray-painted rocks my heart could ever desire.”
From "Insignificant Events in the Life of a Cactus" by Dusti Bowling
And in recent years, cartels have increasingly splintered as leaders have been arrested.
From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 11, 2026
Volodymyr Zhuravlyov is currently fighting extradition from Croatia where he was arrested in August.
From BBC ● Oct. 10, 2026
Lavie has been in the Los Angeles County Jail since July, when she was arrested while out at a Beverly Hills restaurant for not wearing her court-assigned ankle monitor.
From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 9, 2026
The CPS said Wooden was arrested in the Dominican Republic under a false name and had to be extradited before the trial.
From BBC ● Oct. 9, 2026
When Regina refused to move, she was arrested by an officer of the Chicago Police Department for disturbing the peace, and she, Bobby, and Joan were forced to move out.
From "Endgame" by Frank Brady
Police said a security patrol had spotted an abandoned vehicle near the Molesworth base and police found a "small breach" before arresting the men in the early hours of Thursday.
From Barron's ● Oct. 8, 2026
That her visually striking commentaries are emotionally arresting makes that accomplishment all the more impressive.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 30, 2026
In Europe and elsewhere, co-ordinated, multi-national police and customs operations take place regularly, seizing large numbers of stolen antiquities and arresting some of the traffickers.
From BBC ● Sep. 19, 2026
The production is marked by a rare fluidity and ease, while at the same time bristling with energy and bright humor interspersed with moments of arresting, rich feeling.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 18, 2026
As soon as Johnny heard that arresting parties were on the streets, he sent a message to Uncle Lorne.
From "Johnny Tremain" by Esther Hoskins Forbes
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.
