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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."

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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.

“From arrival, the stately facade, dramatic architectural lines, and sweeping sight lines create a striking first impression.”

From MarketWatch • May 19, 2026

These will be tested on the ship's arrival and further tests will be carried out on Monday afternoon to check if the crew have hantavirus.

From BBC • May 18, 2026

Cooper, who also hosts a news program on CNN, announced in February his plans to leave CBS, months after an internal shake-up that followed the arrival of editor-in-chief, Bari Weiss.

From Los Angeles Times • May 18, 2026

The arrival of warmer spring weather has brought a dash of optimism back to Kyiv.

From The Wall Street Journal • May 18, 2026

They were still gaping open from my arrival.

From "Rump: The (Fairly) True Story of Rumpelstilskin" by Liesl Shurtliff

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