apprehend

verb

ap·​pre·​hend ˌa-pri-ˈhend 

apprehended; apprehending; apprehends

transitive verb

1

: arrest, seize

apprehend a thief

2

a

: to become aware of : perceive

She immediately apprehended the problem.

b

: to anticipate especially with anxiety, dread, or fear

3

: to grasp with the understanding : recognize the meaning of

intransitive verb

: understand, grasp

Did you know?

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 of apprehend

• understand
• know
• comprehend
• recognize
• decipher
• grasp
• see
• appreciate
• discern

Examples of apprehend in a Sentence

Within hours, police had apprehended the thief.

subtle differences that are difficult to apprehend

Recent Examples on the Web

That process has effectively scared many people away from filling out paperwork to recertify with Medi-Cal due to fears of being outed by the federal government, which is cracking down on undocumented immigrants by apprehending and deporting them. —Pat Maio, Oc Register, 22 Mar. 2026

Though the team immediately apprehends a suspect, the Marshals end up taking criticism from both sides. —Saman Shafiq, USA Today, 21 Mar. 2026

One of the two suspects was apprehended. —John Dias, CBS News, 21 Mar. 2026

Police arrested Souza shortly after the shooting, and apprehended Padgett and Richards the following day. —Rick Sobey, Boston Herald, 21 Mar. 2026

Word History

Etymology

Middle English, from Latin apprehendere, literally, to seize, from ad- + prehendere to seize — more at get

First Known Use

15th century, in the meaning defined at transitive sense 1

Rhymes for apprehend

• comprehend
• condescend
• dividend
• recommend
• resuspend
• amend
• append
• ascend
• attend
• backend
• befriend
• boyfriend

Kids Definition

apprehend

verb

ap·​pre·​hend ˌap-ri-ˈhend 

1

: arrest entry 1 sense 2

apprehend a burglar

2

: to look forward to with fear and uncertainty

3

: understand sense 1a

Legal Definition

apprehend

transitive verb

ap·​pre·​hend ˌa-prə-ˈhend 

: arrest

Etymology

Latin apprehendere to seize, arrest, from ad to + prehendere to seize