citizen's arrest

noun

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

Examples of citizen's arrest in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

During the investigation, a family member signed a citizen's arrest complaint that alleged Harlan caused about $800 in property damage, the sheriff's office said. — Brandon Downs, CBS News, 6 June 2026

Sheriff's deputies arrived in the neighborhood following the citizen's arrest. — Sarah Rumpf-Whitten, Fox News, 6 Feb. 2025

Gardner was injured during the citizen's arrest and admitted to Vanderbilt University Medical Center, where he is being guarded by police and will be booked in a Davidson County Jail on criminal homicide charges when he is released, police said. — Kirsten Fiscus, The Tennessean, 15 Nov. 2024

The woman, who was checked out by medical personnel, made a citizen's arrest, which led officers to book Killer Mike on suspicion of battery, multiple law enforcement sources had said. — Andrew Blankstein, NBC News, 1 July 2024

Word History

First Known Use

1940, in the meaning defined above

Rhymes for citizen's arrest

• immunosuppressed
• abreast
• accessed
• addressed
• appressed
• armrest
• assessed
• attest
• backrest
• behest
• bequest
• caressed

Legal Definition

citizen's arrest

see also:

arrest