apprehension
noun
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Latin Helps Build Apprehension
There’s quite a bit to comprehend about apprehension, so let’s take a closer look at its history. The Latin ancestor of apprehension (and of comprehend, prehensile, and even prison, among others) is the verb prehendere, meaning “to grasp” or “to seize.” When it was first used in the 14th century, apprehension could refer to the act of learning, a sense that is now obsolete, or the ability or power to understand things—learning and understanding both being ways to “grasp” knowledge or information. It wasn’t until the late 16th century that apprehension was used, as it still is today, for the physical seizure of something or someone (as an arrest). The most commonly used sense of apprehension today refers to a feeling that something bad is about to happen, when you seize up, perhaps, with anxiety or dread, having grasped all the unpleasant possibilities.
Examples of apprehension in a Sentence
Billal Rahman, MSNBC Newsweek, 6 Dec. 2025
De La Torre said that last fiscal year, there were about 324,000 apprehensions along the San Diego sector.
—Alexandra Mendoza, San Diego Union-Tribune, 6 Dec. 2025
For worshippers like Mike, an Iranian asylum-seeker who attends a West Los Angeles church, the weeks leading up to Christmas feel less like a spiritual refuge and more like a time of apprehension.
—Jason Derose, NPR, 1 Dec. 2025
The Shelby Township Police Department said the local investigation began when the Pasco County Sheriff's Office in Florida requested assistance from Michigan authorities in making an apprehension.
—Paula Wethington, CBS News, 1 Dec. 2025
See All Example Sentences for apprehension
Cite this Entry
“Apprehension.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/apprehension. Accessed 13 Dec. 2025.
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apprehension
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apprehension
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