Dictionary.com
Thesaurus.com
Synonyms

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.

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.

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

"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

  • 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

Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.

Large-scale, highly performant systems are expected to arrive in the next few years, bringing with them transformative potential as well as new risks.

From Barron's • Apr. 1, 2026

Indian buyers have been holding out for an LNG glut that was expected later this year to negotiate a better deal, which now won’t arrive.

From The Wall Street Journal • Mar. 31, 2026

The last shipment of jet fuel in transit from the Middle East to the UK is due to arrive this week, according to data firm Vortexa.

From BBC • Mar. 31, 2026

Some require ballots to arrive by Election Day.

From Slate • Mar. 31, 2026

But if he does arrive in Melena del Sur, please treat him kindly but do what you think is best.

From "Across So Many Seas" by Ruth Behar

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.