arrest
Americanverb (used with object)
-
to seize (a person) by legal authority or warrant; take into custody.
The police arrested the burglar.
- Synonyms:
- apprehend
-
to catch and hold; attract and fix; engage.
The loud noise arrested our attention.
-
to check the course of; stop; slow down.
to arrest progress.
- Synonyms:
- stay
-
Medicine/Medical. to control or stop the active progress of (a disease).
The new drug did not arrest the cancer.
noun
-
the taking of a person into legal custody, as by officers of the law.
- Synonyms:
- imprisonment, apprehension, detention
-
any seizure or taking by force.
-
an act of stopping or the state of being stopped.
the arrest of tooth decay.
-
Machinery. any device for stopping machinery; stop.
idioms
verb
-
to deprive (a person) of liberty by taking him into custody, esp under lawful authority
-
to seize (a ship) under lawful authority
-
to slow or stop the development or progress of (a disease, growth, etc)
-
to catch and hold (one's attention, sight, etc)
-
law to stay proceedings after a verdict, on the grounds of error or possible error
-
informal (of a performer) is unrecognized and unsuccessful
he can't get arrested here but is a megastar in the States
noun
-
the act of taking a person into custody, esp under lawful authority
-
the act of seizing and holding a ship under lawful authority
-
the state of being held, esp under lawful authority
under arrest
-
Also called: arrestation. the slowing or stopping of the development or progress of something
-
the stopping or sudden cessation of motion of something
a cardiac arrest
Usage
What does arrest mean? To arrest someone is to seize them or take them into custody with authority. Related to that, an arrest is the act of police or other law enforcement officials detaining someone suspected of committing a crime when there is probable cause. Arrest can also more generally mean to attract and engage, such as with attention or sight. For example, a loud clap of thunder might arrest your attention for a moment, if you weren’t expecting it. Arrest also means to slow or stop, such as with progress or growth. You might, for example, arrest the growth of a plant by keeping it in the dark while continuing to water it. Such an arrest could lead the plant to die. Example: You are under arrest for conspiracy to commit grand theft auto.
Synonym Usage
See stop.
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
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arrestmentnoun
-
prearrestmentnoun
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prearrestverb (used with object)
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rearrestverb (used with object)
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arrestableadjective
-
postarrestadjective
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unarrestableadjective
-
unarrestedadjective
Inflected Forms
Nouns
Participles
Conjugated Forms
Present
-
arrestsimple
-
arrestssimple
-
have arrestedperfect
-
has arrestedperfect
-
am arrestingprogressive
-
are arrestingprogressive
-
is arrestingprogressive
-
have been arrestingperfect progressive
-
has been arrestingperfect progressive
Past
-
arrestedsimple
-
had arrestedperfect
-
was arrestingprogressive
-
were arrestingprogressive
-
had been arrestingperfect progressive
Future
Etymology
Origin of arrest
1275–1325; (v.) Middle English aresten < Anglo-French, Middle French arester, < Vulgar Latin *arrestāre to stop ( see ar-, rest 2); (noun) Middle English arest ( e ) < Anglo-French, Old French, noun derivative of v.
Explanation
To arrest someone is to put them in custody for breaking the law. If you face arrest, your criminal activities will be "at rest" because you'll be behind bars, or in jail. Arrest is both a noun and a verb. When you place a person "under arrest," you take them into custody and hold them so they can’t continue breaking the law. A police officer or other agent of the law will arrest a person often by physically taking them away. In addition to the legal meaning, arrest means "stop." To arrest motion is to stop a person or thing from moving.
Vocabulary lists containing arrest
Warm-up, List 1
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"Harriet Tubman: Conductor on the Underground Railroad"
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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:
Almásy shelters Katharine in a cave and goes off to get help, eventually evading arrest and stealing an airplane to rescue her.
From Salon ● Jul. 28, 2026
In a risk scenario in which the yen plunges and Japanese authorities’ currency interventions fail to arrest the slide, the BOJ could be forced to raise rates as early as September, Barclays economists said.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 28, 2026
“Unsurprisingly, Defendants frequently did not arrest their supposed ‘targets,’ even as they arrested numerous others.”
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 28, 2026
The persistent security challenges point to a failing system, but the arrest of Yusuf shows the military is – at the very least – acknowledging that the problem exists within its own ranks.
From BBC ● Jul. 27, 2026
It’s not like we can send the police down to Asamando to arrest a certain trickster god.
From "Kwame Crashes the Underworld" by Craig Kofi Farmer
“Law enforcement officers use ‘reasonable suspicion’ to investigate immigration status and probable cause to make arrests consistent with the Fourth Amendment to the U.S.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 29, 2026
But critics have bemoaned the lack of arrests over the past year.
From Barron's ● Jul. 27, 2026
The force warned it expected to make further arrests.
From BBC ● Jul. 25, 2026
A series of high-profile crashes and deaths involving e-bikes has prompted police and prosecutors to make arrests, seize bikes and file charges against riders and their parents.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 21, 2026
Selma’s black teenagers had been marching, protesting and submitting to arrests for months.
From "Because They Marched" by Russell Freedman
The case shocked the small student town of Moscow and made national headlines for almost two months before Kohberger was arrested.
From BBC ● Jul. 28, 2026
“Unsurprisingly, Defendants frequently did not arrest their supposed ‘targets,’ even as they arrested numerous others.”
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 28, 2026
To date, the scandal has seen just one sitting politician arrested on charges tied to the scandal.
From Barron's ● Jul. 27, 2026
After hiding in a woodland near Carmarthen for three days without food or water, McKenna was arrested at Bronglais Hospital in Aberystwyth, Ceredigion, as he awaited medical treatment for suspected frostbite.
From BBC ● Jul. 27, 2026
His constant fear of being arrested was only growing with each passing minute.
From Nazi Saboteurs by Samantha Seiple
That changed last year, attorneys said in the motion, citing an email from ICE headquarters in late May 2025 instructing field offices to begin arresting “collaterals,” or nontargets, en masse.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 28, 2026
It works because her voice is singularly arresting, yet it’s no single sound.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 11, 2026
Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent to ostensibly form a joint effort in arresting the yen’s slide.
From Barron's ● Jun. 30, 2026
Both men and women had taken to the streets days after local Taliban government officials reportedly began arresting women perceived to be "improperly wearing the hijab".
From BBC ● Jun. 9, 2026
With so many people to process, I guess arresting us just wasn’t worth the hassle.
From "Dry" by Neal Shusterman and Jarrod Shusterman
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.
