to come to a certain point in the course of travel; reach one's destination.
He finally arrived in Rome.
to come to be near or present in time.
The moment to act has arrived.
to attain a position of success, power, achievement, fame, or the like.
After years of hard work, she has finally arrived in her field.
Archaic. to happen.
It arrived that the master had already departed.
to come to a certain place during or after a journey; reach a destination
(foll by at) to agree upon; reach
to arrive at a decision
to occur eventually
the moment arrived when pretence was useless
informal (of a baby) to be born
informal to attain success or gain recognition
First recorded in 1175–1225; Middle English a(r)riven, from Old French a(r)river, from Vulgar Latin arrīpāre (unrecorded) “to come to land,” verb derivative of Latin ad rīpam “to the riverbank”; cf. river 1
First recorded in 1920–25; from French: literally, “arrived,” noun use of past participle of arriver “to arrive”; see arrive
To arrive is to come to a destination. When you arrive in Paris, the first thing you should do is go and buy a croissant. The word arrive generally means to come to a physical destination, like a place. Make sure you arrive home on time for dinner! But it can also be less literal. You can arrive at a conclusion or a decision after much thought. You can also use arrive to mean "achieve great success," though for whatever reason, this specific usage tends to be in the past tense. If you serve champagne and caviar at a party, your snobby aunt might comment, "My dear, you’ve arrived!” In this case, arrive means to come to a place of great wealth or success.
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Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
However, the signings of both Duran and Hogh come with a reported combined cost of about £15m, and the pair arrive with Champions League pedigree.
From BBC ● Jul. 28, 2026
That moment could arrive Wednesday, when Warsh takes questions following a decision markets couldn’t confidently predict.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 28, 2026
The problem is that any increases could arrive at a precarious time for the market.
From MarketWatch ● Jul. 26, 2026
Brazil's ambassador, Julio Bitelli, is expected to arrive back home between Sunday and Monday, a diplomatic source said.
From Barron's ● Jul. 26, 2026
When they arrive at Tala Leprosarium, Joey studies the crowded, run-down cabins where she will be forced to live.
From "At Last She Stood" by Erin Entrada Kelly
As I gently closed the door of the ward and stole out into the corridor on tip-toe, I heard again the martial chorus swelling into a tumult of joy: Le jour de gloire est arrivé!
From Leaves from a Field Note-Book by Morgan, John Hartman
However deep his ignorance, it could not possibly be more finished than mine some dozen years ago; and yet I may say, Je suis arrivé!
From About Orchids A Chat by Boyle, Frederick
The triumphant words shouted out by the men seemed more sorrowful than those of the De profundis: Allons, enfants de la patrie, Le jour de gloire est arrivé.
From Lippincott's Magazine of Popular Literature and Science Volume 12, No. 33, December, 1873 by Various
Once in a year, however, I as the French say, doesn't make a custom, and the Parisian crowd, to quote its own expression, "croit que c'est arrivé."
From Lippincott's Magazine of Popular Literature and Science Volume 26, September, 1880 by Various
He will arrivé back here to-night tired as a dog, but once more at daybreak it will be Dominique who sets forth to carry the wounded man up to Fort Amitié.
From Fort Amity by Quiller-Couch, Arthur Thomas, Sir
Meanwhile the leading men of the guilds had become hommes arrivés.
From German Culture Past and Present by Bax, Ernest Belfort
Others can make a final, split-second decision when they hear approaching sirens, before help arrives.
From Barron's ● Jul. 28, 2026
The findings provide strong evidence that prescribed burning can help protect sequoia groves by reducing the amount of fuel available when a major wildfire arrives.
From Science Daily ● Jul. 26, 2026
When a gay American man arrives to archive her art collection, he’s pulled along by a romance and a deeper mystery at the villa.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 26, 2026
When James Duval, a veteran of six Araki projects, often as the director’s stand-in, arrives on-screen it feels like an applause break for fans to cheer.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 24, 2026
Camille squeezes her laptop between glasses of water and lemonade right as the waitress arrives at our table.
From "South of Somewhere" by Kalena Miller
He arrived in Washington with significantly less clout and influence than he had on past visits, officials said, and came highly attuned to what the president would want to discuss—or what would set him off.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 28, 2026
Netanyahu arrived at the White House shortly after Zelensky left.
From BBC ● Jul. 28, 2026
Local residents arrived in the village to inspect their homes, while others cleaned up the dust and debris from their damaged properties.
From Barron's ● Jul. 28, 2026
Scallions and soy sauce arrived because I add them to almost everything, occasionally without proper cause.
From Salon ● Jul. 28, 2026
It was as if the circus had arrived in town!
From "Adventures of Don Quixote" by Argentina Palacios
But when I remember that stretch of my life, I remember that bowl arriving again and again.
From Salon ● Jul. 28, 2026
The strengthening El Niño is arriving on top of an oil-supply shock caused by the disruption in the Strait of Hormuz.
From MarketWatch ● Jul. 28, 2026
After arriving in Downing Street on Monday, Burnham delivered a speech without notes and without the traditional lecturn, symbolising the more relaxed image he cultivated over nine years as Manchester mayor.
From Barron's ● Jul. 26, 2026
Loomer said she booked the interview only after arriving in Ukraine.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 24, 2026
About six weeks after arriving at Da Nang, Lieutenant Philip Caputo and seven of his men sat in a helicopter, holding their rifles between their knees.
From "Most Dangerous: Daniel Ellsberg and the Secret History of the Vietnam War" by Steve Sheinkin
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.
