arresting
Americanadjective
-
attracting or capable of attracting attention or interest; striking.
an arresting smile.
-
making or having made an arrest.
the arresting officer.
adjective
Other Word Forms
- arrestingly adverb
- nonarresting adjective
- unarresting adjective
Etymology
Origin of arresting
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.
“By arresting Villarreal, rather than solely disciplining the employee for any wrongdoing, county officials took this ‘everyday journalism’ and transformed it ‘into a crime,’ ” she wrote.
From Slate • Mar. 26, 2026
The Metropolitan Police has said it will resume arresting protesters for supporting the proscribed group Palestine Action.
From BBC • Mar. 26, 2026
Immigration authorities are arresting more of these moms in the first place, but that doesn’t account for all of the surge in deportations.
From Salon • Mar. 24, 2026
“They were arresting me for disturbing the peace,” Wheeler said about the noise complaints he received while playing in his garage.
From Los Angeles Times • Mar. 19, 2026
“You would think,” Skarpi’s voice rolled out like thick honey, “fine churchmen such as yourselves could find better things to do than arresting storytellers and extorting money from honest men.”
From "The Name of the Wind" by Patrick Rothfuss
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.
