apprehension
noun
Did you know?
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
Carlos Aguilar, Variety, 30 Dec. 2025
Or at least detained as apprehensions, dreams, or maybe even glimpses now and then.
—David Searcy, Harpers Magazine, 30 Dec. 2025
Buyers’ apprehensions over such scenarios are presumably among the factors that are negatively impacting sales.
—Michael L. Hyman, Miami Herald, 29 Dec. 2025
Fiscal 2025 apprehensions represent a fraction of those apprehended in previous years, including 564,215 in fiscal 2024, 576,901 in fiscal 2023 and 571,720 in fiscal 2022, according to CBP data.
—Center Square, The Washington Examiner, 28 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 8 Jan. 2026.
Copy CitationKids Definition
apprehension
noun
Legal Definition
apprehension
noun
Share