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
Stephanie A, The Conversation, 8 Apr. 2026
City officials and water managers across the state are watching with apprehension.
—Ella Nilsen, CNN Money, 6 Apr. 2026
Less formal polls by MLB Trade Rumors and ESPN found high levels of support for the challenge system, too, but as with any rule change in baseball there has been some level of apprehension as well.
—Mac Cerullo, Boston Herald, 5 Apr. 2026
Dallas, the department’s 2-year-old K-9, joined the team in 2025 and was deployed 41 times, resulting in 22 apprehensions.
—Nicole Buss, Sacbee.com, 31 Mar. 2026
See All Example Sentences for apprehension
Cite this Entry
“Apprehension.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/apprehension. Accessed 9 Apr. 2026.
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apprehension
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