arrest

verb ar·rest \ ə-ˈrest \

Definition of arrest

transitive verb

1 :seize, capture; specifically :to take or keep in custody by authority of law

Police arrested the suspect.

2 a :to bring to a stop

Sickness arrested his activities.

b :check, slow

Its growth was arrested.

c :to make inactive

an arrested tumor

3 :to catch suddenly and engagingly

arrest attention

—

arrester

or less commonly arrestor play \-ˈres-tər\ noun

—

arrestment

play \-ˈres(t)-mənt\ noun

See arrest defined for English-language learners

See arrest defined for kids

Examples of arrest in a Sentence

The police arrested him on drug charges.
The police officer said, “I'm arresting you in the name of the law.”
The drugs can't arrest the disease's progress, but they can slow it down considerably.

Recent Examples of arrest from the Web

The former Carol Stream resident was arrested in 2012 for child pornography possession after police executed a search warrant at his home.

— clifford ward, Wheaton Glen Ellyn, "Ex-Wheaton College professor imprisoned for viewing film with nude children," 30 Aug. 2017
On Sept. 3, 2015, a few days after being given permission to attend the camp, Smith was arrested for allegedly causing a disturbance outside his ex-girlfriend's residence.

— ruth ann krause, Post-Tribune, "Former EC basketball star returned to Lake jail after two years," 29 Aug. 2017
A Monroe County man was arrested for allegedly supplying a Conecuh County commissioner with marijuana earlier this year, state Attorney General Steven Marshall announced.

— jonece starr dunigan, AL.com, "Monroe County man accused of supplying Conecuh County commissioner with drugs," 29 Aug. 2017
The other three attackers fled the shop but were arrested shortly afterward.

— glenn e. rice, kansascity, "Defendant in She’s a Pistol gun shop shooting sentenced to life in prison," 25 Aug. 2017
The teen, a Burbank resident, was arrested on suspicion of committing the robbery and was eventually released on a citation, according to Green.

— andy nguyen, Burbank Leader, "Woman robbed in Burbank chases after suspect and detains him," 24 Aug. 2017
Four people were arrested over the course of the day.

— christopher silavong, Teen Vogue, "10 Young People on Why They Protested Trump's Phoenix Rally," 23 Aug. 2017
Over the weekend, two members of the Kennedy family were allegedly arrested in Hyannis, Massachusetts for disorderly conduct.

— caroline hallemann, Town & Country, "Two Members of the Kennedy Family Were Reportedly Arrested on Cape Cod Over the Weekend," 21 Aug. 2017
Four of the suspected terrorists have been arrested, and another two are missing, but were probably killed in the house explosion in Alcanar.

— chas danner, Daily Intelligencer, "Terror Cell in Spain Was Planning a Much Larger-Scale Attack," 20 Aug. 2017

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'arrest.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

Origin and Etymology of arrest

Middle English aresten, from Anglo-French arester to stop, arrest, from Vulgar Latin *arrestare, from Latin ad- + restare to remain — more at rest

NEW! Time Traveler

First Known Use: 14th century

See Words from the same year

arrest Synonyms

Synonyms

apprehend, bust [slang], collar, nab, nail, nick [British slang], pick up, pinch, pull in, restrain, run in, seize

Antonyms

discharge

Related Words

bag, capture, catch, get, grab, grapple, hook, land, snap (up), snare, snatch, trap; commit, confine, detain, hold, immure, imprison, incarcerate, intern, jail, jug, lock (up); bind, enchain, fetter, handcuff, manacle, shackle, trammel; rearrest; remand

Near Antonyms

emancipate, free, liberate, loose, loosen, release, spring; unbind, unchain

Other Legal Terms

actionable, alienable, carceral, chattel, complicity, decedent, larceny, malfeasance, modus operandi

arrest

noun

Definition of arrest

1 :the taking or detaining in custody by authority of law

The investigation led to his arrest.

2 a :the act of stopping

b :the condition of being stopped or inactive — compare cardiac arrest

— under arrest

:in legal custody

The suspect was placed under arrest.

See arrest defined for English-language learners

Examples of arrest in a Sentence

The police are investigating the case but they have not yet made any arrests.
She was charged with resisting arrest.
The information has led to the arrest of three suspects.

Recent Examples of arrest from the Web

Our DUI arrests rate of 2.23 actually is the sixth lowest in the nation, which indicates we’re either responsible or getting away with it.

— david j. neal, miamiherald, "Why is Florida home to the worst drivers? Where do we start?," 29 Aug. 2017
A vigorous police presence followed by a wave of arrests and aggressive prosecutions would largely end the threat.

— david french, National Review, "Antifa Just Showed Its True Colors. Again.," 28 Aug. 2017
Crime Stoppers offering rewards Naperville Crime Stoppers are offering rewards of up to $1,000 in three different criminal cases in which the Naperville Police Department is seeking to make arrests.

— michelle mullins, Naperville Sun, "Naperville News Digest," 25 Aug. 2017
If enough sheriffs participated, the approach could lead to many more immigration arrests, which have already risen more than 40 percent since last year.

— caitlin dickerson, New York Times, "Trump Administration Moves to Expand Deportation Dragnet to Jails," 21 Aug. 2017
Michael Salomonsky, who serves as commander of the criminal investigations division, declined to release information on the arrest to AL.com on Saturday afternoon.

— erin edgemon, AL.com, "Madison County Sheriff's investigator charged with sexual abuse," 19 Aug. 2017
Spanish police have also been involved in the arrests of more than 200 suspected jihadis since then.

— barry hatton and joseph wilson, Esquire, "What We Know About the Van Attack that Killed 13 People in Barcelona," 17 Aug. 2017
The Chronicle reported at the time that she was charged with misdemeanor resisting arrest and possession of marijuana, but the charges were later dropped.

— lisa ryan, The Cut, "Dashcam Video of Invasive Vaginal Search on Black Woman Amounts to ‘Rape by a Cop,’ Attorney Says," 16 Aug. 2017
Around 50 Klan members faced several hundred counter-protesters, and police made 23 arrests and used tear gas to disperse the crowds.

— sarah ellison, vanityfair.com, "Why Charlottesville, Liberal College Town, Became Ground Zero for White Supremacy," 15 Aug. 2017

Origin and Etymology of arrest

see ¹arrest

NEW! Time Traveler

First Known Use: 14th century

See Words from the same year

arrest Synonyms

Synonyms

apprehension, arrestment, bust [slang], collar, pinch

Antonyms

discharge

Related Words

raid; house arrest; capture, entrapment, seizure; captivity, confinement, detention, enchainment, hold, immurement, imprisonment, incarceration, restraint; rearrest; remand

Near Antonyms

emancipation, liberation, release

Other Legal Terms

actionable, alienable, carceral, chattel, complicity, decedent, larceny, malfeasance, modus operandi

ARREST Defined for English Language Learners

arrest

verb

Definition of arrest for English Language Learners

: to use the power of the law to take and keep (someone, such as a criminal)
: to stop the progress or movement of (something)
: to attract and hold the attention of (someone or something)

arrest

noun

Definition of arrest for English Language Learners

: the act of legally taking and keeping someone (such as a criminal) : the act of arresting someone
medical : an occurrence in which a part of the body suddenly stops working

ARREST Defined for Kids

arrest

verb ar·rest \ ə-ˈrest \

Definition of arrest for Students

arrested; arresting

1 :to take or keep control over (someone) by authority of law

She was arrested on suspicion of robbery.

2 :to stop the progress or movement of :check

arrest a disease

3 :to attract and hold the attention of

But I was suddenly arrested by a sight that only Grandma and I saw.
—Richard Peck, A Year Down Yonder

arrest

noun

Definition of arrest for Students

:the act of taking or holding a person by authority of law

Medical Dictionary

arrest

transitive verb ar·rest \ ə-ˈrest \

medical Definition of arrest

:to bring to a standstill or state of inactivity

arrested tuberculosis

arrested labor

intransitive verb

:to undergo cardiac arrest

the…patient has arrested while being transported to surgery
—Wayne Fields

—

arrestment

noun

arrest

noun

medical Definition of arrest

:the condition of being stopped

developmental arrest

— see cardiac arrest — compare cure 1, remission

Law Dictionary

arrest

noun ar·rest \ ə-ˈrest \

legal Definition of arrest

:the restraining and seizure of a person whether or not by physical force by someone acting under authority (as a police officer) in connection with a crime in such a manner that it is reasonable under the circumstances for the person to believe that he or she is not free to leave — see also miranda warnings, probable cause at cause 2, warrant — compare stop

— citizenʼs arrest

:an arrest made not by a law officer but by any citizen who derives the authority to arrest from the fact of being a citizen

Note: Under common law, a citizen may make an arrest for any felony actually committed, or for a breach of the peace committed in his or her presence.

— civil arrest

:the arrest and detention of a defendant in a civil suit until he or she posts bail or pays the judgment — see also capias ad respondendum

Note: Civil arrest is restricted or prohibited in most states.

— custodial arrest

:an arrest of a person accompanied by or followed by taking the person into custody

— false arrest

:an arrest made without legal authority — called also unlawful arrest

Note: If a person is taken into custody, no matter how briefly, a false arrest is also false imprisonment.

— pretext arrest \ˈprē-ˌtekst-\

:the arrest of a person for a minor crime (as a traffic violation) for the real purpose of getting an opportunity to investigate (as through a search) the person's possible involvement in a more serious crime for which there are no lawful grounds to make an arrest — called also pretextual arrest

— unlawful arrest

:false arrest in this entry

— under arrest

:in the condition of being restrained under legal authority

Origin and Etymology of arrest

Middle French arest, from arester to stop, seize, arrest, ultimately from Latin ad to, at + restare to stay

arrest

transitive verb

legal Definition of arrest

:to place under arrest

—

arrester

also arrestor noun

Learn More about arrest

See words that rhyme with arrest Thesaurus: All synonyms and antonyms for arrest Spanish Central: Translation of arrest Nglish: Translation of arrest for Spanish speakers Britannica English: Translation of arrest for Arabic speakers Britannica.com: Encyclopedia article about arrest

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arrest

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arrest

Definition of arrest for English Language Learners

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arrest

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arrest

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Medical Dictionary

arrest

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arrestment

arrest

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Law Dictionary

arrest

legal Definition of arrest

Origin and Etymology of arrest

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arrester

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