ar·rest | \ ə-ˈrest 
\
\arrested; arresting; arrests
Definition of arrest
(Entry 1 of 2)
2a : to bring to a stop
Sickness arrested his activities.
c : to make inactive
an arrested tumor
3 : to catch suddenly and engagingly
arrest attention
arrest
nounDefinition of arrest (Entry 2 of 2)
1 : the taking or detaining in custody by authority of law
The investigation led to his arrest.
2a : 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.
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Other Words from arrest
Verb
arrester or less commonly arrestor \ ə-ˈre-stər \ noun
\ nounarrestment \ ə-ˈres(t)-mənt \ noun
\ nounSynonyms & Antonyms for arrest
Synonyms: Verb
- apprehend,
- bust
- [slang],
- collar,
- nab,
- nail,
- nick
- [British slang],
- pick up,
- pinch,
- pull in,
- restrain,
- run in,
- seize
Synonyms: Noun
- apprehension,
- arrestment,
- bust
- [slang],
- collar,
- pinch
Antonyms: Verb
Antonyms: Noun
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Examples of arrest in a Sentence
Verb
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. Noun
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.
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Recent Examples on the Web: Verb Feast was shot on Dec. 9 in La Marque, about 40 miles southeast of Houston, by Officer Jose Santos who was attempting to arrest him on outstanding felony warrants.
—
N'dea Yancey-bragg, USA TODAY, "Texas police release body camera video of fatal shooting of Joshua Feast," 23 Dec. 2020 Feast, 22, was fatally shot on Dec. 9 when a police officer in La Marque — a city about 40 miles southeast of Houston — was attempting to arrest him on outstanding warrants, the La Marque Police Department said.
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Doha Madani, NBC News, "Body camera video released in fatal Texas police shooting of Joshua Feast," 22 Dec. 2020 Members of the FBI Violent Crimes Task Force shot and killed a fugitive suspected of homicide while attempting to arrest them Friday in Tonopah.
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Perry Vandell, The Arizona Republic, "FBI task force shoots and kills New Mexico homicide fugitive in Tonopah," 5 Dec. 2020 Montgomery County Police were attempting to arrest a suspect wanted in connection with a killing in Jacksonville, Florida, when the shooting happened in Prince George’s County, the agency stated in a message posted to Twitter.
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baltimoresun.com, "Officer shot and wounded, Florida slaying suspect killed in Upper Marlboro," 17 Nov. 2020 The shooting occurred as officers from the department were attempting to arrest a person wanted in a homicide out of Jacksonville, Fla., Montgomery County police said on Twitter.
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Katie Mettler, Washington Post, "Montgomery County officer shot during attempted arrest of homicide suspect, police say," 17 Nov. 2020 Protests have erupted across the country after a white Wisconsin police officer attempting to arrest a Black man named Jacob Blake shot him seven times in the back on Aug. 23.
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Audrey Conklin, Fox News, "Massachusetts activates 1,000 National Guard troops amid protests," 30 Aug. 2020 The officers said a struggle ensued and shots had been fired and multiple officers were down after attempting to arrest the suspect.
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Katherine Rosenberg-douglas, chicagotribune.com, "Chicago police respond to 10 shootings in about 3 hours Sunday, including 3 homicides and an attack that left 2 officers seriously wounded," 30 Aug. 2020 Officials said that police were attempting to arrest Blake at the time of the shooting, but other details about the events leading up to the gunfire are still unclear.
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Zachary Halaschak, Washington Examiner, "Officials say Jacob Blake admitted to having a knife in his possession during Kenosha shooting," 26 Aug. 2020 Recent Examples on the Web: Noun The Washington Post‘s editorial board published an opinion calling for Congress to impose a moratorium on the use of facial recognition software by law enforcement, following the Times story about the arrest of Nijeer Parks.
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Jonathan Vanian, Fortune, "How A.I. can speed up the COVID-19 vaccination drive," 5 Jan. 2021 Shortly after Chaudry’s arrest in September, The Daily Beast and The Washington Post ran multiple pieces highlighting various threads of criticism levied against Callimachi’s work from within and beyond the Times.
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Nicholas Quah, Vulture, "L’Affaire Caliphate," 5 Jan. 2021 After the arrest Maertens Aramayo had looked at Aly’s social media pages and saw that the teenager professed love for Allah.
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Washington Post, "Nearly a year after a young couple was killed, a guilty plea provides few answers," 4 Jan. 2021 In November, after King and a friend asked about the trespassing arrest, Johnson removed both men from the meeting.
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Scott Travis, sun-sentinel.com, "School principal asks judge for protection from alum: ‘I’m afraid for my life.’," 29 Dec. 2020 The statement from prosecutors about Aguirre's arrest came one day after the Electoral College voted to affirm Joe Biden as the 46th President of the United States.
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Josh Campbell, CNN, "Former Houston police captain charged with pointing gun at air-conditioner repairman, believing he was a voter fraud 'mastermind'," 16 Dec. 2020 Williams was addressing Warwick’s Twitter stardom and threw in a barb about her 2002 arrest for marijuana possession.
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Christie D’zurilla Staff Writer, Los Angeles Times, "Wendy Williams might want to take Dionne Warwick’s advice to stop the trash talk," 10 Dec. 2020 No other details were immediately available about her arrest in New Orleans.
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Michelle Hunter, NOLA.com, "Woman arrested in stabbing death of 84-year-old Metairie grandmother didn't know victim, JPSO says," 7 Dec. 2020 The proposal appears to reflect Mexico's anger about the arrest of former Mexican Defense Secretary Salvador Cienfuegos in Los Angeles in October.
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Mark Stevenson, Star Tribune, "Mexican president wants to restrict US agents in Mexico," 6 Dec. 2020
See MoreThese 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.
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More Definitions for arrest
arrest
verbEnglish Language Learners Definition of arrest
(Entry 1 of 2)
: to use the power of the law to take and keep (someone, such as a criminal)
formal : to stop the progress or movement of (something)
formal : to attract and hold the attention of (someone or something)
arrest
nounEnglish Language Learners Definition of arrest (Entry 2 of 2)
: 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
See the full definition for arrest in the English Language Learners Dictionary
arrest
verbar·rest | \ ə-ˈrest \
\arrested; arresting
Kids Definition of arrest
(Entry 1 of 2)
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
nounKids Definition of arrest (Entry 2 of 2)
: the act of taking or holding a person by authority of law
arrest
transitive verbar·rest | \ ə-ˈrest \
\Medical Definition of arrest
(Entry 1 of 2)
: to bring to a standstill or state of inactivity
arrested tuberculosis arrested labor
: to undergo cardiac arrest
the…patient has arrested while being transported to surgery— Wayne Fields
arrest
nounMedical Definition of arrest (Entry 2 of 2)
: the condition of being stopped
developmental arrest — see cardiac arrest — compare cure entry 1 sense 1, remission
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arrest
nounar·rest | \ ə-ˈrest \
Legal Definition of arrest
(Entry 1 of 2)
: 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 sense 2, warrant — compare stop
— citizen's 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
arrest
transitive verbLegal Definition of arrest (Entry 2 of 2)
: to place under arrest
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Comments on arrest
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Time Traveler for arrest
The first known use of arrest was in the 14th century
See more words from the same century