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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

  • nonarrival noun

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.

Brady's arrival at West Ham followed more than 16 years at Birmingham City, where she was appointed managing director aged 23 in 1993.

From BBC • Apr. 21, 2026

Fast-forward to late 2025, and his arrival in Belgium as US ambassador.

From Barron's • Apr. 21, 2026

Excitement around Ari Skye’s arrival had been brewing in the media long before the couple even announced they were expecting.

From Los Angeles Times • Apr. 20, 2026

Still, it was caught flat-footed by the arrival of high-functioning chatbots in the form of ChatGPT in late 2022.

From The Wall Street Journal • Apr. 20, 2026

Most years, the to celebrate the arrival of the hummingbears, and visitors came from near and far.

From "Willodeen" by Katherine Applegate