apprehend
verb
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To apprehend is to seize, either physically or mentally. So to apprehend a thief is to nab him. But to apprehend a confusing news story, or to apprehend a difficult concept in physics, is to understand it—that is, to "grasp" it mentally. If you're apprehensive about something that's about to happen, it means you've grasped all the unpleasant possibilities and are waiting with anxiety or dread.
Synonyms
Examples of apprehend in a Sentence
Rosalio Ahumada, Sacramento Bee, 26 Apr. 2024
He is apprehended in northeastern Pennsylvania, about 2,500 miles from the Idaho campus, and charged with four counts of first-degree murder and burglary.
—Erik Ortiz, NBC News, 24 Apr. 2024
They were apprehended in the area a short time later, according to police.
—Jonathan Limehouse, USA TODAY, 22 Apr. 2024
Police need comprehensive intelligence to apprehend the top players in drug smuggling networks.
—Vanda Felbab-Brown, Foreign Affairs, 11 Apr. 2024
The chair landed next to a police cruiser on Broadway, PEOPLE confirms, and officers soon headed into the venue to apprehend the culprit.
—Chris Barilla, Peoplemag, 10 Apr. 2024
But when the boy threatened to harm himself, deputies kicked down the door and tried to apprehend him, Dicus said.
—Fox News, 4 Apr. 2024
The best hope was to apprehend the people on board.
—Jon Lee Anderson, The New Yorker, 1 Apr. 2024
Putin said Saturday that the suspects were apprehended while trying to escape to Ukraine, and Russian state media have suggested that the West is fabricating the claim of Islamic State culpability to protect Kyiv.
—Mary Ilyushina, Washington Post, 25 Mar. 2024
These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'apprehend.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.
Dictionary Entries Near apprehend
Cite this Entry
“Apprehend.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/apprehend. Accessed 29 Apr. 2024.
Copy CitationKids Definition
apprehend
verb
Legal Definition
apprehend
transitive verb
Latin apprehendere to seize, arrest, from ad to + prehendere to seize
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