arrest

American  

[uh-rest] / əˈrɛst /

verb (used with object)

• arrests,
  present (3rd person singular)
• arrested,
  past participle,  past
• arresting
  present participle

1. to seize (a person) by legal authority or warrant; take into custody.

   The police arrested the burglar.

   Synonyms:

   apprehend

2. to catch and hold; attract and fix; engage.

   The loud noise arrested our attention.

   Synonyms:

   occupy, rivet, secure

3. to check the course of; stop; slow down.

   to arrest progress.

   Synonyms:

   stay

4. Medicine/Medical. to control or stop the active progress of (a disease).

   The new drug did not arrest the cancer.

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noun

• arrests
  plural

1. the taking of a person into legal custody, as by officers of the law.

   Synonyms:

   imprisonment, apprehension, detention

2. any seizure or taking by force.

3. an act of stopping or the state of being stopped.

   the arrest of tooth decay.

   Synonyms:

   check, stay, halt, stoppage

4. Machinery. any device for stopping machinery; stop.

idioms

1. under arrest, in custody of the police or other legal authorities.

   They placed the suspect under arrest at the scene of the crime.

arrest British  

/ əˈrɛst /

verb

1. to deprive (a person) of liberty by taking him into custody, esp under lawful authority

2. to seize (a ship) under lawful authority

3. to slow or stop the development or progress of (a disease, growth, etc)

4. to catch and hold (one's attention, sight, etc)

5. law to stay proceedings after a verdict, on the grounds of error or possible error

6. informal (of a performer) is unrecognized and unsuccessful

   he can't get arrested here but is a megastar in the States

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noun

1. the act of taking a person into custody, esp under lawful authority

2. the act of seizing and holding a ship under lawful authority

3. the state of being held, esp under lawful authority

   under arrest

4. Also called: arrestation. the slowing or stopping of the development or progress of something

5. the stopping or sudden cessation of motion of something

   a cardiac arrest

arrest More Idioms  

1. see under arrest.

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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

• arrestment
  noun
• prearrestment
  noun
• prearrest
  verb (used with object)
• rearrest
  verb (used with object)
• arrestable
  adjective
• postarrest
  adjective
• unarrestable
  adjective
• unarrested
  adjective

Inflected Forms

Nouns

• arrests
  plural

Participles

• arresting
  present
• arrested
  past

Conjugated Forms

Present

• arrest
  simple
• arrests
  simple
• have arrested
  perfect
• has arrested
  perfect
• am arresting
  progressive
• are arresting
  progressive
• is arresting
  progressive
• have been arresting
  perfect progressive
• has been arresting
  perfect progressive

Past

• arrested
  simple
• had arrested
  perfect
• was arresting
  progressive
• were arresting
  progressive
• had been arresting
  perfect progressive

Future

• will arrest
  simple
• will have arrested
  perfect
• will be arresting
  progressive
• will have been arresting
  perfect progressive

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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.

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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.

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

arrest arrests arrested arresting

"Partnerships with law enforcement are critical to having the resources we need to arrest criminal illegal aliens across the country," the spokesperson added.

From BBC ● Nov. 7, 2026

“While he is eager to return to his violence-prevention work, the motivation behind his arrest remains unclear and continues to confound us.”

From Los Angeles Times ● Nov. 6, 2026

"I spent 42 days in jail. My arrest gave a new dimension to our struggle in Turkey, but also around the world," she told AFP.

From Barron's ● Nov. 6, 2026

Mathewson had been a self-employed childminder for 30 years prior to her arrest.

From BBC ● Nov. 6, 2026

They had come to his farm to arrest him and take him to the Old Capitol Prison.

From "Chasing Lincoln's Killer" by James L. Swanson

Police said the investigation is ongoing, and no arrests have been reported.

From Los Angeles Times ● Nov. 7, 2026

Police told the family that they expected a break in the case soon, but no arrests have been announced.

From Los Angeles Times ● Nov. 5, 2026

The chair of parliament's police committee, Ian Cameron, praised police for the swift arrests and called for a "strong, properly investigated case" to follow.

From BBC ● Nov. 2, 2026

Officers on Saturday made arrests into the evening, taking people to police vans for transfer, to the applause of many protesters, some of whom chanted: "Free, free Palestine."

From BBC ● Nov. 1, 2026

Any difficult crime he always referred to the state police: in fact, they wound up processing most of his arrests.

From "The Milagro Beanfield War" by John Nichols

Listyo Sigit Prabowo, the president's chief of staff, was arrested on Tuesday along with two senior police officers for allegedly wiretapping President Prabowo.

From BBC ● Nov. 6, 2026

Abelhameed was one of several people arrested along with Skipp Townsend on Wednesday.

From Los Angeles Times ● Nov. 6, 2026

Dutch news agency ANP reported that police arrested between 150 and 200 protesters.

From Barron's ● Nov. 6, 2026

McCauley was arrested a month after he cashed the check.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Nov. 6, 2026

I thought of Mary Itallie arrested while walking down a street.

From "The Hiding Place" by Corrie ten Boom

The findings provide clinical trial evidence that the manufacturer can use in an application seeking FDA approval of SDF as a drug for arresting dental caries, the medical term for tooth decay.

From Science Daily ● Oct. 26, 2026

"What the regime wants is to intimidate, silence and frighten society through such pressure -- by arresting individual journalists, seizing media outlets, banning news coverage and blocking access to social media," he said.

From Barron's ● Oct. 24, 2026

That her visually striking commentaries are emotionally arresting makes that accomplishment all the more impressive.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 30, 2026

It was a world that Richard Kerbaj brings back into lively and arresting focus in “The Defector.”

From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 20, 2026

As soon as Johnny heard that arresting parties were on the streets, he sent a message to Uncle Lorne.

From "Johnny Tremain" by Esther Hoskins Forbes

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Related Words

• apprehend
• capture
• catch
• detain
• imprison
• incarcerate
• jail
• round up
• seize

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