arrest

1 of 2

verb

ar·rest ə-ˈrest

arrested; arresting; arrests

Synonyms of arrest next

transitive verb

: seize, capture

specifically : to take or keep in custody by authority of law

Police arrested the suspect.

: to bring to a stop

Sickness arrested his activities.

: check, slow

Its growth was arrested.

: to make inactive

an arrested tumor

: to catch suddenly and engagingly

arrest attention

arrester noun

or less commonly arrestor

ə-ˈre-stər

arrestment

ə-ˈres(t)-mənt

noun

arrest

2 of 2

noun

: the taking or detaining in custody by authority of law

The investigation led to his arrest.

: the act of stopping

: the condition of being stopped or inactive compare cardiac arrest

Phrases

under arrest

: in legal custody

The suspect was placed under arrest.

Examples of arrest in a Sentence

Verb The police arrested him on drug charges. The police officer said, “I'm arresting you in the name of the law.” The drugs can't arrest the disease's progress, but they can slow it down considerably. Noun The police are investigating the case but they have not yet made any arrests. She was charged with resisting arrest. The information has led to the arrest of three suspects.

Recent Examples on the Web

Verb

Several students have been arrested, NBC affiliate KXAN of Austin reported. —

Patrick Smith, NBC News, 26 Apr. 2024 Besse said Calderon was arrested and convicted in 2005 for driving drunk, leading police on a chase, and killing another person in the process. —

City News Service, San Diego Union-Tribune, 25 Apr. 2024 Two graduate students at Princeton University were arrested for trespassing and tents were taken down Thursday after scores of students attended a rally, the university said. —

John Bacon, USA TODAY, 25 Apr. 2024 On Monday night, three students were arrested after demonstrators set up tents inside Siemens Hall and clashed with law enforcement officers wearing helmets and riot shields who descended on campus. —

Jenny Jarvie, Los Angeles Times, 25 Apr. 2024 Agents arrested two men crewing that boat who, per the complaint, are Cuban nationals on parolee status in the United States. —

David Goodhue, Miami Herald, 25 Apr. 2024 Dozens of protesters have been arrested since Wednesday night, including at the University of Southern California, the University of Texas at Austin and Emerson College. —

Ayana Archie, NPR, 25 Apr. 2024 Police found Mayers at her home in Hamilton, Ohio, and arrested her at 3 p.m., according to online records. —

Kerry Breen, CBS News, 24 Apr. 2024 The more arresting its doomsday images—a daring raid on the White House, a fiery assault on the Lincoln Memorial—the more Garland’s war loses itself in a nonpartisan fog, a thought experiment that short-circuits thought. —

Justin Chang, The New Yorker, 12 Apr. 2024

Noun

Officers checked Darien's background and an open arrest warrant for him appeared, McCullough added. —

USA TODAY, 26 Apr. 2024 But after the wave of arrests, many students returned to the campus, setting up tents once again. —

Bill Chappell, NPR, 26 Apr. 2024 Guns, drugs and scales found in home Homeland Security Investigations agents told the judge of a thriving drug enterprise at the home, which federal agents raided on April 17, the date of Romero Soto’s arrest. —

Sandra McDonald, Miami Herald, 26 Apr. 2024 McCullough said authorities had entered the warrant for Darien’s arrest into the system on Wednesday night with plans to serve it Thursday morning. —

Ben Finley, Fortune, 26 Apr. 2024 The investigation resulted in six defendants being charged in three federal indictments, as well as 16 state arrest warrants to be issued against 16 people. —

Karen Garcia, Los Angeles Times, 26 Apr. 2024 Investigators said that Darien tried to declare a gun at the airport and that triggered a security check that revealed the arrest warrant issued last night. —

Ivan Pereira, ABC News, 25 Apr. 2024 Ilhan Omar and daughter visit Columbia anti-Israel encampment — one week after daughter's arrest ... —

Fox News Staff, Fox News, 25 Apr. 2024 Police responded Friday evening to a Fort Worth, Texas, home after they were notified about a dead body at the residence, investigators said in an arrest warrant obtained by Law & Crime and reviewed by PEOPLE. —

Samira Asma-Sadeque, Peoplemag, 25 Apr. 2024

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'arrest.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Word History

Etymology

Verb

Middle English aresten, arresten "to stop, halt (something or someone), come to a halt, wait, restrain, seize (a lawbreaker), take into custody," borrowed from Anglo-French arester (also continental Old French), going back to Vulgar Latin *arrestāre, from Latin ad- ad- (in Vulgar Latin marking or reinforcing transitivity) + restāre "to remain, be left unchanged" — more at rest entry 4

Noun

Middle English arest, arrest, borrowed from Anglo-French arest, areste, noun derivative of arester "to stop, hinder, seize and detain (a lawbreaker)" — more at arrest entry 1

First Known Use

Verb

14th century, in the meaning defined at sense 2a

Noun

14th century, in the meaning defined at sense 2a

Time Traveler

The first known use of arrest was in the 14th century

See more words from the same century

Cite this Entry

Style

“Arrest.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/arrest. Accessed 29 Apr. 2024.

Copy Citation

Kids Definition

arrest

1 of 2 verb

ar·rest ə-ˈrest

: to stop the progress or movement of

: check entry 2 sense 3, slow

arrest a disease

: to take or keep in one's control by authority of law

arrest someone on suspicion of robbery

: to attract and hold the attention of

colors that arrest the eye

arrest

2 of 2 noun

: the act of stopping

: the state of being stopped

: the act of taking or holding in one's control by authority of law

Medical Definition

arrest

1 of 2 transitive verb

ar·rest ə-ˈrest

: to bring to a standstill or state of inactivity

arrested tuberculosis

arrested labor

intransitive verb

: to undergo cardiac arrest

the … patient has arrested while being transported to surgery—

Wayne Fields

arrestment noun

arrest

2 of 2 noun

: the condition of being stopped

developmental arrest

see cardiac arrest compare cure entry 1 sense 1, remission

Legal Definition

arrest

1 of 2 noun

ar·rest

ə-ˈrest

: the restraining and seizure of a person whether or not by physical force by someone acting under authority (as a police officer) in connection with a crime in such a manner that it is reasonable under the circumstances for the person to believe that he or she is not free to leave see also miranda warnings, probable cause at cause sense 2, warrant compare stop

— citizen's arrest

: an arrest made not by a law officer but by any citizen who derives the authority to arrest from the fact of being a citizen

Note: Under common law, a citizen may make an arrest for any felony actually committed, or for a breach of the peace committed in his or her presence.

— civil arrest

: the arrest and detention of a defendant in a civil suit until he or she posts bail or pays the judgment see also capias ad respondendum

Note: Civil arrest is restricted or prohibited in most states.

— custodial arrest

: an arrest of a person accompanied by or followed by taking the person into custody

— false arrest

: an arrest made without legal authority

called also unlawful arrest

Note: If a person is taken into custody, no matter how briefly, a false arrest is also false imprisonment.

— pretext arrest \ ˈprē-ˌtekst- \

: the arrest of a person for a minor crime (as a traffic violation) for the real purpose of getting an opportunity to investigate (as through a search) the person's possible involvement in a more serious crime for which there are no lawful grounds to make an arrest

called also pretextual arrest

— unlawful arrest

: false arrest in this entry

arrest

2 of 2 transitive verb

: to place under arrest

arrester noun

also arrestor

Etymology

Noun

Middle French arest, from arester to stop, seize, arrest, ultimately from Latin ad to, at + restare to stay

Last Updated: 28 Apr 2024 - Updated example sentences

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arrest

verb

noun

Synonyms

Examples of arrest in a Sentence

Word History

Dictionary Entries Near arrest

Cite this Entry

Kids Definition

Medical Definition

Legal Definition