arrest

verb ar·rest \ ə-ˈrest \

|Updated on: 6 Aug 2018

Examples: arrest in a Sentence

Definition of arrest

arrested; arresting; arrests

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 Nigerian police arrested and then killed Yusuf in front of a crowd outside the police headquarters in Maiduguri (the government insisted he was shot while trying to escape).

— The Economist, "The fight against Islamic State is moving to Africa," 14 July 2018
Police arrested the driver of the truck carrying the boulder, Joe P. Czeck, on Wednesday.

— alexia fernandez, PEOPLE.com, "Mother and Daughter Killed After Boulder Falls Off a Truck Crushing Their Car, Driver Arrested," 13 July 2018
The driver was not injured, and police have not arrested anyone in this case.

— gal tziperman lotan, baltimoresun.com, "Pizza delivery driver robbed at knifepoint by 15 people at UMBC," 13 July 2018
Orange County deputies on Friday arrested a suspect in the shooting that injured a man at an apartment complex popular with UCF students.

— michael williams, OrlandoSentinel.com, "Deputies arrest suspect in shooting at UCF-area apartment," 13 July 2018
Nearly a month after his arrest in that case, Walton County, Fla., officials arrested Sligh on similar charges.

— raisa habersham, ajc, "Actor convicted of child molestation in Cherokee County," 13 July 2018
Officers arrested Micah-Owen-Forney, 22, and Lubre Peeler, 24, both of Maryland.

— bayan wang, azcentral, "Officials: $150,000 worth of codeine seized in Pima County; 2 arrested," 13 July 2018
Norwich police arrested three people after finding drugs and drug paraphernalia at a Norwich Avenue apartment Thursday afternoon, authorities said.

— ruth bruno, courant.com, "Norwich Police Arrest 3 In Drug Bust," 12 July 2018
Egypt Today reported that, in 2015, police arrested three brothers who were found illegally digging below their building, ostensibly searching for a potential archaeological find.

— ella cerón, Teen Vogue, "Undisturbed Sarcophagus Found in Alexandria, Egypt," 12 July 2018

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

in the meaning defined at sense 2a

See Words from the same year

arrest Synonyms

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

An arrest warrant was issued for Cardenas for one count of first-degree murder and two counts of aggravated assault with a deadly weapon, Smith said.

— nathan j. fish, azcentral, "Police: Suspect in Glendale shootings arrested after fleeing to Texas," 13 July 2018
An arrest warrant was issued only after he was wanted in the Tennessee death, the officials said.

— spencer s. hsu, Washington Post, "An alleged murder by absconding inmate prompts relocation of D.C. Jail prisoners to Virginia," 13 July 2018
Cordon, who had an arrest warrant with Atlanta Police for failure to appear in court, had left by the time officers arrived, the report alleges.

— PEOPLE.com, "LeSean McCoy's Ex Told 911 Operator NFL Player Set Up Violent Robbery: 'My Face Is Demolished'," 12 July 2018
On Thursday, some center-right politicians in Spain questioned the purpose of a European arrest warrant if courts in different countries did not apply the same criteria.

— New York Times, "Ex-Catalonia Leader Can Be Extradited, but Not on the Charge Spain Wants," 12 July 2018
Before officers left last July, Cordon arrived, and there was an open arrest warrant for her out of Atlanta for failure to appear in court on a traffic violation.

— will hobson, chicagotribune.com, "Police reports detail three prior calls to LeSean McCoy's residence in Atlanta suburbs," 12 July 2018
Anchorage police had asked the public for information about Deveroux in an alert that listed arrest warrants on original charges including robbery, burglary, fraud, vehicle theft, criminal mischief, theft and contempt of court.

— zaz hollander, Anchorage Daily News, "Pursuit near Delta Junction ends with arrest of wanted Anchorage man," 10 July 2018
Fort Lauderdale police issued an arrest warrant, charging Butler with first degree murder.

— meryl kornfield, Sun-Sentinel.com, "Man accused of stabbing brother to death turns himself in," 9 July 2018
Police on Thursday served an arrest warrant to 23-year-old Rovonte Daniels — who was already in jail on separate charges — in connection to the December shooting of Lester Inman.

— michael williams, OrlandoSentinel.com, "Code words, YouTube videos and shell casings lead Sanford police to homicide suspect," 7 July 2018

Origin and Etymology of arrest

see ¹arrest

NEW! Time Traveler

First Known Use: 14th century

in the meaning defined at sense 2a

See Words from the same year

arrest Synonyms

Synonyms

arrestment, cease, cessation, check, close, closedown, closure, conclusion, cutoff, discontinuance, discontinuation, end, ending, expiration, finish, halt, lapse, offset, shutdown, shutoff, stay, stop, stoppage, surcease, termination;

Antonyms

continuance, continuation;

Near Antonyms

extension, persistence, prolongation;

Related Words

mop-up, phaseout;

abeyance, break, interruption, layoff, letup, moratorium, pause, standstill, suspension;

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