arrive
verb (used without object)
to come to a certain point in the course of travel; reach one's destination.
arrive
1 American
[uh-rahyv]
/ əˈraɪv /
verb (used without object)
-
arrives,
present (3rd person singular)
-
arrived,
past participle, past
-
arriving
present participle
-
to come to a certain point in the course of travel; reach one's destination.
He finally arrived in Rome.
-
to come to be near or present in time.
The moment to act has arrived.
-
to attain a position of success, power, achievement, fame, or the like.
After years of hard work, she has finally arrived in her field.
-
Archaic. to happen.
It arrived that the master had already departed.
verb (used with object)
-
arrives,
present (3rd person singular)
-
arrived,
past participle, past
-
arriving
present participle
verb phrase
arrivé
2
American
[ar-ee-vey, a -r ee-vey]
/ ˌær iˈveɪ, a riˈveɪ /
noun
-
arrivés
plural
arrive
British
/ əˈraɪv /
verb
-
to come to a certain place during or after a journey; reach a destination
-
(foll by at) to agree upon; reach
to arrive at a decision
-
to occur eventually
the moment arrived when pretence was useless
-
informal (of a baby) to be born
-
informal to attain success or gain recognition
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Inflected Forms
Nouns
Participles
Conjugated Forms
Present
-
arrivesimple
-
arrivessimple
-
have arrivedperfect
-
has arrivedperfect
-
am arrivingprogressive
-
are arrivingprogressive
-
is arrivingprogressive
-
have been arrivingperfect progressive
-
has been arrivingperfect progressive
Past
-
arrivedsimple
-
had arrivedperfect
-
was arrivingprogressive
-
were arrivingprogressive
-
had been arrivingperfect progressive
Future
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”; cf. river 1
Origin of arrivé2
First recorded in 1920–25; from French: literally, “arrived,” noun use of past participle of arriver “to arrive”; see arrive
Explanation
To arrive is to come to a destination. When you arrive in Paris, the first thing you should do is go and buy a croissant. The word arrive generally means to come to a physical destination, like a place. Make sure you arrive home on time for dinner! But it can also be less literal. You can arrive at a conclusion or a decision after much thought. You can also use arrive to mean "achieve great success," though for whatever reason, this specific usage tends to be in the past tense. If you serve champagne and caviar at a party, your snobby aunt might comment, "My dear, you’ve arrived!” In this case, arrive means to come to a place of great wealth or success.
Vocabulary lists containing arrive
Beowulf vocabulary
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"The Lotus Seed"
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Greetings, World Traveler! — List 3
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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.
See Examples For:
The volunteer worker added the journey usually takes one and a half hours from Kathmandu but the flood damage meant it took eight or nine hours to arrive.
From BBC ● Sep. 2, 2026
The first megamax vessel to be deployed to the Port of Long Beach as part of a regular weekly service will arrive this month.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 2, 2026
Organizers are open about prioritizing Metro and cycling as preferred ways to arrive.
From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 2, 2026
For Macron, who will arrive from a trip to the Netherlands, the visit will also be significant as he looks during the final half year of his term in office.
From Barron's ● Sep. 2, 2026
Baskets of food began to arrive from the shipyard.
From "Reaching for the Moon" by Katherine Johnson
However deep his ignorance, it could not possibly be more finished than mine some dozen years ago; and yet I may say, Je suis arrivé!
From About Orchids A Chat by Frederick Boyle
He will arrivé back here to-night tired as a dog, but once more at daybreak it will be Dominique who sets forth to carry the wounded man up to Fort Amitié.
From Fort Amity by Sir Arthur Thomas Quiller-Couch
The triumphant words shouted out by the men seemed more sorrowful than those of the De profundis: Allons, enfants de la patrie, Le jour de gloire est arrivé.
From Lippincott's Magazine of Popular Literature and Science Volume 12, No. 33, December, 1873 by Various
As I gently closed the door of the ward and stole out into the corridor on tip-toe, I heard again the martial chorus swelling into a tumult of joy: Le jour de gloire est arrivé!
From Leaves from a Field Note-Book by John Hartman Morgan
The first two verses of this new version will suffice to show its character: Allons, enfant de la patrie, La jour de gloire est arrivé.
From Lippincott's Magazine of Popular Literature and Science, Volume 22. October, 1878. by Various
Meanwhile the leading men of the guilds had become hommes arrivés.
From German Culture Past and Present by Ernest Belfort Bax
Now, on “Fifteen,” it arrives through a long, lovely and cleverly harmonized piano introduction by Mr. Iyer.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 2, 2026
By the time a younger sibling arrives, parents know the ropes and the pathways to pursue, according to Blazo, who studies sibling relationships and social comparison in sports.
From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 2, 2026
"The speech arrives against a difficult policy backdrop. Inflation remains above target for a sixth consecutive year, while Fed officials have begun debating whether tighter policy may still be required."
From Barron's ● Aug. 28, 2026
Buy the 30-year at 68 years old and that day arrives when you’re 98.
From MarketWatch ● Aug. 27, 2026
The train arrives shortly after the sun has fully risen, and on the way to Boston the stories continue, while Elizabeth knits and Lorena props her head up sleepily on her arm.
From "The Night Circus" by Erin Morgenstern
From the moment Lane Kiffin arrived at LSU, one thing was certain: College football’s most controversial coach would start making enemies.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 2, 2026
The following day, hopeful spectators arrived as soon as the courthouse opened at 7 a.m.
From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 2, 2026
The sixth and final adventure arrived on Jan. 30, 2003.
From Salon ● Sep. 2, 2026
But Musetti proved a silent assassin here, biding his time and making few mistakes when the opportunities arrived.
From BBC ● Sep. 1, 2026
Beside them sat three underground workers who must have arrived since I had gone upstairs.
From "The Hiding Place" by Corrie ten Boom
Elsewhere on the front page, Amal and George Clooney are captured arriving by boat for Venice's 83rd film festival "where the actor will receive a lifetime achievement award".
From BBC ● Sep. 2, 2026
The U.S. personnel are arriving in the middle of the area’s low tourist season.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 2, 2026
The rebuild was fleshed out with midfielder Joao Gomes arriving from Wolverhampton Wanderers and winger Alejandro Garnacho on loan from Chelsea.
From BBC ● Sep. 2, 2026
In a turn of good fortune, tariff refunds are arriving for companies as they confront higher costs stemming from the war in Iran, WSJ Leadership Institute reporters Kristin Broughton and Jennifer Williams write.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 31, 2026
“An invitation? Really? Oh, Fredrick, that is the best news I have had since arriving in London! Hooray, hooray!”
From "The Hidden Gallery" by Maryrose Wood
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.
