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Synonyms

arrival

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

noun

  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

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."

Keep Reading on Vocabulary.com

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.

They entered the world the way babies should, with piercing cries announcing their arrival.

From Salon • May 7, 2026

"For operational reasons, I won't go into who may be arrested but obviously we're working very closely with Commonwealth authorities," New South Wales state police commissioner Mal Lanyon said on Thursday before their arrival.

From Barron's • May 7, 2026

One of the biggest differences this season has been the arrival of manager Jeglertz.

From BBC • May 6, 2026

Upon arrival, passengers and crew will be examined, treated if needed and then moved to their home countries.

From MarketWatch • May 6, 2026

The dashboard's brass hourglass measured the time; twenty minutes until arrival.

From "The Marvellers" by Dhonielle Clayton