APPREHEND Synonyms: 99 Similar and Opposite Words

apprehend

verb

ˌa-pri-ˈhend

Definition of apprehend

as in to understand

to have a clear idea of do you apprehend the importance of this discovery?

Synonyms & Similar Words

Relevance

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

as in to arrest

to take or keep under one's control by authority of law the agency charged with apprehending criminals who have violated federal law

Synonyms & Similar Words

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

Example Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

Recent Examples of apprehend Omar García Harfuch, Mexico’s secretary of security and citizen protection, said authorities moved quickly to apprehend the suspects. — Lauryn Overhultz, FOXNews.com, 3 Sep. 2026 Authorities apprehended the father and son in a warehouse in Sonora, Mexico. — Jessica Sager, PEOPLE, 3 Sep. 2026 According to local news reports, police in Pattaya over the weekend apprehended at least 25 individuals suspected of soliciting for prostitution, an offense punishable by fines. — Brad Lendon, CNN Money, 2 Sep. 2026 After it was immobilized, the driver attempted to leave the vehicle and was apprehended by officers, according to NEA Report. — Daniel McFadin, Arkansas Online, 31 Aug. 2026 See All Example Sentences for apprehend

Recent Examples of Synonyms for apprehend

Verb

People with brain damage can lose the ability to understand or speak words yet still do math, play chess and compose music.

— George Musser, Scientific American, 17 Sep. 2026
New York already understands the importance of making its cultural life more accessible, and Mayor Mamdani’s recent TDF initiative to give free tickets to high schoolers offers one model.

— Brian Beirne, New York Daily News, 16 Sep. 2026

Definition of understand

Verb

Police arrested a suspect in connection with the discovery of the first woman's body on July 15 in Kempton Park.

— Rael Ombuor The Washington Post, Arkansas Online, 19 Sep. 2026
Last October, investigators with the Vernon Police Department arrested Pietras and charged him with 20 counts of second-degree larceny and 60 counts of intent to defraud funeral service contracts.

— Justin Muszynski, Hartford Courant, 18 Sep. 2026

Definition of arrest

Verb

Vasil didn’t know what his teammates were planning and was clearly touched by the display of support.

— Paul Sullivan, Chicago Tribune, 19 Sep. 2026
No group immediately claimed responsibility for the attack, but suspicion was likely to fall on the Pakistani Taliban, formally known as Tehrik-e-Taliban Pakistan, or TTP.

— Arkansas Online, Arkansas Online, 19 Sep. 2026

Definition of know

Verb

On Sunday, Turkish authorities cracked down on multiple LGBTQ+ groups and individuals, detaining dozens of members, breaking into association offices and raiding popular hangouts.

— ABC News, ABC News, 15 Sep. 2026
Authorities detained at least 26 people in Istanbul and 21 in Ankara over the weekend and raided the offices of several LGBTQ+ associations.

— CNN Money, CNN Money, 15 Sep. 2026

Definition of detain

Verb

The opinion team should have recognized that his biased anti-Israel position was not relevant to the subject of his commentary.

— Chicago Tribune, Chicago Tribune, 8 Sep. 2026
Alas, for all of his brilliance, Miguel struggles to recognize the emergence of his own paranoia, let alone to identify its source.

— David Ehrlich, IndieWire, 8 Sep. 2026

Definition of recognize

Verb

The incident Sunday involved the top fashion executive forcibly restraining two employees of People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals and putting his hands over their mouths at the runway show for Cos, a brand owned by H&M.

— CNN Money, CNN Money, 19 Sep. 2026
Autopsy photos displayed in court revealed welts, bruises and scars all over the boy’s body, and police found ropes and chains in the apartment that witnesses said were used to restrain him.

— Rebecca Ellis, Los Angeles Times, 18 Sep. 2026

Definition of restrain

Browse Nearby Words

appreciatory

apprehend

apprehended

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Style

“Apprehend.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/apprehend. Accessed 21 Sep. 2026.

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Synonyms of apprehend

verb

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