arrival

noun

ar·​riv·​al ə-ˈrī-vəl 

1

: the act of arriving

2

: the attainment of an end or state

3

: one that has recently arrived

new arrivals

Synonyms of arrival

• advent
• appearance
• coming

Examples of arrival in a Sentence

They were awaiting the arrival of guests.

When is the mail scheduled for arrival?

They track the number of airport arrivals and departures.

They were late arrivals at the party.

They are eagerly awaiting the arrival of their wedding day.

the changes that occur with the arrival of spring

the arrival of new technology

Recent Examples on the Web

Guests are lei'ed on arrival, and refurbished rooms feature private lanais, large baths and flatscreen TVs. —Condé Nast, Condé Nast Traveler, 24 May 2026

Anton Frondell impressed upon arrival with nine points (three goals, six assists) in his first 12 games. —Kalen Lumpkins, Chicago Tribune, 23 May 2026

For her, the arrival of Charlie Fox represented not only a milestone for the East End business community, but also a broader cultural shift toward normalizing cannabis as part of wellness and quality-of-life care. —Tanya Benedicto Klich, Forbes.com, 23 May 2026

My arrival at the Howard Johnson’s seemed to have interrupted his train of thought. —Joyce Johnson, New Yorker, 23 May 2026

Word History

Etymology

Middle English arivaile, arrival "act of arriving, landing, disembarkation," borrowed from Anglo-French arrivayle, arivail, from ariver, arriver "to arrive entry 1" + -ayle, -ail, in part going back to Latin -ālis -al entry 2, in part a collective suffix going back to Latin -ālia, from neuter plural of -ālis -al entry 1

First Known Use

14th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Phrases Containing arrival

• dead on arrival
• departure/arrival time

Rhymes for arrival

• archival
• revival
• survival
• conjunctival
• rival
• subconjunctival

Kids Definition

arrival

noun

ar·​riv·​al ə-ˈrī-vəl 

1

: the act of arriving

await the arrival of guests

2

: a person or thing that has arrived

late arrivals at a concert