arrest
verb (used with object)
to seize (a person) by legal authority or warrant; take into custody.
were arresting
-
past progressiveof arrest.past progressive
Used to describe an ongoing action or continuous state that was happening at a specific time in the past.
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.
And volunteers are doing more of the talking, asking for badge numbers, asking for the warrant, asking on what authority they were arresting him.
From Slate ● Jun. 18, 2025
A few years ago, the people Du Toit and his colleagues were arresting were almost all foreign nationals — primarily Chinese and Korean passport holders.
From Seattle Times ● Jul. 31, 2021
Such tactics infuriated police officers, who said they felt like they were arresting the same people multiple times because of Gascón’s reluctance to open new cases.
From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 17, 2020
On that Wednesday, policemen and members of the LDU were arresting people found breaking the lockdown rules by working after 19:00.
From BBC ● Jul. 22, 2020
Their faces were arresting in their expression of calm strength and kindliness.
From Astounding Stories of Super-Science September 1930 by Harry Bates
