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Synonyms

arrival

American  
[uh-rahy-vuhl] / əˈraɪ vəl /

noun

  • arrivals
    plural
  1. an act of arriving; a coming.

    His arrival was delayed by traffic.

    Synonyms:
    advent
  2. the reaching or attainment of any object or condition.

    arrival at a peace treaty.

  3. the person or thing that arrives or has arrived.

    First arrivals will be the first seated.


arrival British  
/ əˈraɪvəl /

noun

  1. the act or time of arriving

  2. a person or thing that arrives or has arrived

  3. the reaching of a condition or objective

"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

Other Word Forms

Derived Forms

Inflected Forms

Nouns

Etymology

Origin of arrival

1350–1400; arrive + -al 2; replacing Middle English arivaille < Middle French

Explanation

An arrival is an entrance or an appearance — the act of showing up somewhere. Your arrival at your grandparents' house will no doubt be marked by great enthusiasm and many hugs. The process of arriving, or first getting to your destination, is arrival. Your sister's arrival at the airport might be delayed by bad weather, and your new kitten's arrival will be an exciting event for your whole family. Another kind of arrival is a person who's just arrived: "I easily picked her out from all the bus station arrivals."

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Vocabulary lists containing arrival

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:

With the arrival of the new Marvel Comics app, Marvel Unlimited will “sunset” on Dec. 7.

From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 6, 2026

The researchers investigated how changes in a molecule's electronic structure, the arrival of a proton and shifts in the surrounding water environment are connected during this process.

From Science Daily ● Oct. 6, 2026

Phoebe said she was assured a ramp and assistance would be waiting, but on arrival was told she was in a carriage beyond the platform, leaving her unable to get off.

From BBC ● Oct. 5, 2026

"Our main concern is his arrival won't be safe," she told AFP from Malaysia, requesting anonymity for security reasons after losing contact with her brother before the vessels set sail.

From Barron's ● Oct. 4, 2026

Were all the many mysteries that had accumulated since their arrival in London about to be solved?

From "The Hidden Gallery" by Maryrose Wood

A man has been charged after a protest over migrant arrivals in a Hampshire town.

From BBC ● Oct. 6, 2026

The arrivals were due to include 27 children and 79 women, Malaysian media said, the remaining 1,370 adult men.

From Barron's ● Oct. 4, 2026

"Defectors with sensitive backgrounds -- such as former intelligence operatives, diplomats or those with access to state secrets -- are typically kept separately from other arrivals."

From Barron's ● Sep. 30, 2026

Following World War II, a wave of Japanese migration to the region, especially to Brazil, introduced East Asian aesthetics into local art scenes, and the new arrivals began drawing from their new environs.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 25, 2026

Outside the overcrowded rabbit pen, the new arrivals were being organized into groups.

From "Uglies" by Scott Westerfeld

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