arrival
Americannoun
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the act or time of arriving
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a person or thing that arrives or has arrived
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the reaching of a condition or objective
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."
Vocabulary lists containing arrival
List 3
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Florida's B.E.S.T. Common Suffixes: -al, -ial
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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.
For others, it signals an arrival in Hollywood, a sign that they’ve finally made it in the business.
From Los Angeles Times • Jun. 16, 2026
Soon after his arrival at Monaco, Mbappe and his new team-mates were set an assignment to design a magazine cover with an image of themselves on the front.
From BBC • Jun. 16, 2026
But Mboladinga’s arrival in the states was nearly as big of a long shot.
From The Wall Street Journal • Jun. 15, 2026
The arrival of a tanker truck to refill a gas station’s supply is when owners lower their prices, Lipow said.
From MarketWatch • Jun. 15, 2026
He has brought a church bell with him to give to the Our Lady of La Salette Church upon his arrival.
From "At Last She Stood" by Erin Entrada Kelly
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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.