arrive

¹ American  

[uh-rahyv] / əˈraɪv /

verb (used without object)

arrived, arriving

1. to come to a certain point in the course of travel; reach one's destination.

   He finally arrived in Rome.

2. to come to be near or present in time.

   The moment to act has arrived.

3. to attain a position of success, power, achievement, fame, or the like.

   After years of hard work, she has finally arrived in her field.

4. Archaic. to happen.

   It arrived that the master had already departed.

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verb (used with object)

arrived, arriving

1. Obsolete. to reach; come to.

verb phrase

1. arrive at

   1. to come to a place after traveling; reach.

   2. to attain the objective in a course or process.

      to arrive at a conclusion.

arrivé ² American  

[ar-ee-vey, a-ree-vey] / ˌær iˈveɪ, a riˈveɪ /

noun

plural

arrivés

1. a person who has swiftly gained wealth, status, success, or fame.

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arrive British  

/ əˈraɪv /

verb

1. to come to a certain place during or after a journey; reach a destination

2. (foll by at) to agree upon; reach

   to arrive at a decision

3. to occur eventually

   the moment arrived when pretence was useless

4. informal (of a baby) to be born

5. informal to attain success or gain recognition

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Other Word Forms

• arriver noun
• unarrived adjective
• unarriving adjective

Etymology

Origin of arrive¹

First recorded in 1175–1225; Middle English a(r)riven, from Old French a(r)river, from Vulgar Latin arrīpāre (unrecorded) “to come to land,” verb derivative of Latin ad rīpam “to the riverbank”; river ¹

Origin of arrivé²

First recorded in 1920–25; from French: literally, “arrived,” noun use of past participle of arriver “to arrive”; arrive

Example Sentences

The situation looks to have only worsened, with local media reporting in late March that a shipment of more than 180,000 metric tons of fuel had failed to arrive, heightening supply concerns.

From Barron's • Apr. 7, 2026

He then waited for his rescuers to arrive.

From BBC • Apr. 5, 2026

Cover images of Muhammad Ali, Michael Jordan and other superstars are emblazoned in the memories of fans who eagerly awaited the title to arrive in the mail each week.

From Los Angeles Times • Apr. 5, 2026

And while AI-based shopping is still a niche practice, some retailers are giving their inventory descriptions another look to make sure their products are AI-ready if and when more shoppers arrive.

From The Wall Street Journal • Apr. 4, 2026

I shall have to intercept them before they arrive at the house, so I can fill them in on the details of our scheme . . . but however shall I manage it?”

From "The Unseen Guest" by Maryrose Wood

Related Words

• appear
• enter
• land
• reach
• report
• show up
• take place
• turn up
• visit