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.
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
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
First recorded in 1920–25; from French: literally, “arrived,” noun use of past participle of arriver “to arrive”; see arrive
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.
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Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
Your payment date depends on your birth date, so your first payment will generally arrive the month after your first month of entitlement, regardless of whether your birthday is on, say, Oct.
From MarketWatch ● Jul. 28, 2026
People heading to the airport for flights have been advised not to arrive early.
From BBC ● Jul. 26, 2026
Brazil's ambassador, Julio Bitelli, is expected to arrive back home between Sunday and Monday, a diplomatic source said.
From Barron's ● Jul. 26, 2026
But as West Hollywood discovered this month, sometimes the pipes rupture well before help can arrive.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 25, 2026
"As soon as I arrive at the Court, I will personally tell His Majesty of Don Quixote's courage," he said.
From "Adventures of Don Quixote" by Argentina Palacios
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 Boyle, Frederick
Once in a year, however, I as the French say, doesn't make a custom, and the Parisian crowd, to quote its own expression, "croit que c'est arrivé."
From Lippincott's Magazine of Popular Literature and Science Volume 26, September, 1880 by Various
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
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 Quiller-Couch, Arthur Thomas, Sir
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 Morgan, John Hartman
Meanwhile the leading men of the guilds had become hommes arrivés.
From German Culture Past and Present by Bax, Ernest Belfort
Others can make a final, split-second decision when they hear approaching sirens, before help arrives.
From Barron's ● Jul. 28, 2026
Compensation usually arrives in the form of gift cards, discounts and free swag.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 27, 2026
The findings provide strong evidence that prescribed burning can help protect sequoia groves by reducing the amount of fuel available when a major wildfire arrives.
From Science Daily ● Jul. 26, 2026
"It's just the most convenient way to commute from home to the station and back," says Keith Reed, who I speak to as he arrives at the station to catch a train to London.
From BBC ● Jul. 22, 2026
A few days after Captain Newport arrives we hear shouts of “Wingapo!” and look to see Indians paddling to shore in three canoes.
From "Blood on the River" by Elisa Carbone
Wu had arrived at London's Heathrow Airport last Wednesday, where he was detained for nearly 10 hours and initially refused entry, he told BBC Chinese.
From BBC ● Jul. 28, 2026
One of the Iranian tankers, the Humanity, arrived off Malaysia over the weekend, according to ship-tracking data and United Against Nuclear Iran, a U.S.-based advocacy group.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 28, 2026
Local residents arrived in the village to inspect their homes, while others cleaned up the dust and debris from their damaged properties.
From Barron's ● Jul. 28, 2026
Scallions and soy sauce arrived because I add them to almost everything, occasionally without proper cause.
From Salon ● Jul. 28, 2026
Beside them sat three underground workers who must have arrived since I had gone upstairs.
From "The Hiding Place" by Corrie ten Boom
But when I remember that stretch of my life, I remember that bowl arriving again and again.
From Salon ● Jul. 28, 2026
The strengthening El Niño is arriving on top of an oil-supply shock caused by the disruption in the Strait of Hormuz.
From MarketWatch ● Jul. 28, 2026
After arriving in Downing Street on Monday, Burnham delivered a speech without notes and without the traditional lecturn, symbolising the more relaxed image he cultivated over nine years as Manchester mayor.
From Barron's ● Jul. 26, 2026
Loomer said she booked the interview only after arriving in Ukraine.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 24, 2026
Only then did Washington and Billy Lee, master and servant, return to Mount Vernon, arriving on Christmas Eve.
From "In the Shadow of Liberty" by Kenneth C. Davis
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.
