arrest

[uh-rest]

verb (used with object)

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.

noun

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.

arrest

/ 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

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

Other Word Forms

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

Word History and Origins

Origin of arrest¹

1275–1325; (v.) Middle English aresten < Anglo-French, Middle French arester, < Vulgar Latin *arrestāre to stop ( ar-, rest ² ); (noun) Middle English arest ( e ) < Anglo-French, Old French, noun derivative of v.

Word History and Origins

Origin of arrest¹

C14: from Old French arester, from Vulgar Latin arrestāre (unattested), from Latin ad at, to + restāre to stand firm, stop

Idioms and Phrases

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.

see under arrest.

Synonym Study

See stop.

Example Sentences

Bucur appears to have lived in California in the past, according to a previous arrest.

From Los Angeles Times

Protests have been staged outside The Bell Hotel, where he was being housed, since Kebatu's arrest and subsequent conviction on Thursday of five offences.

From BBC

A 40-year-old man has been arrested on suspicion of murder after two women died in London five months apart.

From BBC

Jay Cutler was sentenced to four days in a Tennessee jail after he pleaded guilty to a DUI charge stemming from his 2024 arrest.

From Los Angeles Times

She said: "You restricted the blood flow to his brain, he slipped into unconsciousness and suffered a cardiac arrest."

From BBC

Related Words

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

When To Use

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.