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apprehending

verb

present participle of apprehend
1
as in knowing
to have a clear idea of do you apprehend the importance of this discovery?

Synonyms & Similar Words

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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in arresting
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 apprehending The Tennessee Bureau of Investigation initially contacted Roswell police and asked for assistance locating and apprehending Spruill. — Zachary Bynum, CBS News, 18 Aug. 2026 She’s tasked with apprehending The Puppet Master (Iemasa Kayumi), a hacker who appears to be tapping directly into these networked minds and altering memories. — David Faris, TheWeek, 14 Aug. 2026 The Nodaway County Sheriff’s Office, United States Marshals Service and New Mexico State Police assisted in apprehending Jones, Hann said. — Caroline Zimmerman may 28, Kansas City Star, 28 May 2026 Federal immigration agents fanned across the city, apprehending workers at car washes, garment businesses, Home Depots and other locations. — Los Angeles Times, 27 May 2026 This arc is advancing slower than a glacier on Hoth, and Mando apprehending a couple of mid-level Imps on the big screen doesn't really fill the gap. — Richard Edwards, Space.com, 25 May 2026 In the video shared exclusively with Fox News by ICE, officers are seen apprehending and arresting the Honduran national. — Sarah Rumpf-Whitten , Danamarie McNicholl, FOXNews.com, 9 May 2026 The Fugitive Slave Act of 1850 compelled authorities in northern free states to assist in apprehending and returning those who escaped back to slavery. — Jeremy Mennis, The Conversation, 1 May 2026 Los Angeles ran from 2009 to 2023, centered around the high-stakes world of a division of NCIS that is charged with apprehending dangerous and elusive criminals, who pose a threat to the nation’s security. — Rosy Cordero, Deadline, 15 Apr. 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for apprehending
  1. knowing
  2. arresting
  3. understanding
  4. seizing
  5. recognizing
  6. detaining
  7. deciphering
  8. comprehending
Verb
  • There is a particular sort of helplessness that comes from knowing exactly how to fix a computer while being hundreds of miles away from it.
    — New Atlas, New Atlas, 18 Sep. 2026
  • But knowing the building blocks of a balanced plate, as well as which foods pair well to prevent a blood sugar spike, can make the process easier.
    — Mira Miller, Verywell Health, 17 Sep. 2026
Definition of knowing
Verb
  • The ruling requires federal immigration agents to consider the totality of the circumstances known to them before arresting someone without a warrant.
    — Brittny Mejia, Los Angeles Times, 16 Sep. 2026
  • San Francisco Police Department The following day, officers served warrants at homes on Executive Park Boulevard and Newhall Street, arresting 46-year-old Leander Pitts and 39-year-old Starr Lamare.
    — Kevin Ko, CBS News, 15 Sep. 2026
Definition of arresting
Verb
  • Supporting and empowering women leaders is also about creating workplaces that are understanding, flexible and aware of the many responsibilities that women balance across their professional and personal lives, Cole stressed.
    — WWD Staff, Footwear News, 14 Sep. 2026
  • Organizations that adopt technology without understanding how that technology enables innovation will struggle, at best, or, more likely, fall behind competitors that move with greater intention.
    — Robbie Morrison, Forbes.com, 14 Sep. 2026
Definition of understanding
Verb
  • At their height, jihadi groups proved capable of spectacular violence, forming alliances amid civil wars and even seizing territory.
    — Daniel Byman, Foreign Affairs, 8 Sep. 2026
  • But the truth of it is that Sharaa forced his hand by seizing swathes of the SDF’s territory in a lightning offensive in January.
    — The Week UK, TheWeek, 6 Sep. 2026
Definition of seizing
Verb
  • For many, recognizing the evils Hamas committed on October 7 obviated the need to understand them.
    — Literary Hub, Literary Hub, 18 Sep. 2026
  • The complaint states that an employee contacted police after spotting Quast inside the store and recognizing her as someone who had allegedly committed a similar theft days earlier, the outlet reported.
    — Ashley Vega, PEOPLE, 17 Sep. 2026
Definition of recognizing
Verb
  • Police surrounded the demonstrators outside the Caglayan courthouse before detaining them.
    — ABC News, ABC News, 15 Sep. 2026
  • Nearly 500 federal, state and local officers descended on the sprawling plant, detaining 475 workers, mostly South Koreans.
    — Hanna Park, CNN Money, 15 Sep. 2026
Definition of detaining
Verb
  • And navigating a website might involve deciphering images or knowing what links to click.
    — Jennifer D. Kobrin, The Conversation, 25 Aug. 2026
  • The prevention of future pandemics relies on information from previous outbreaks, which is one reason why deciphering the origins of the COVID-19 began is important.
    — Encyclopedia Britannica, Encyclopedia Britannica, 25 Aug. 2026
Definition of deciphering
Verb
  • Understanding that this is policy is crucial for comprehending how Israeli soldiers are expected to dutifully erase entire villages without questioning orders.
    — Jay Weissberg, Variety, 10 Sep. 2026
  • By utilizing three classes of agents, Microsoft is effectively comprehending the entire threat lifecycle.
    — Will Townsend, Forbes.com, 7 Aug. 2026
Definition of comprehending

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apprehending
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Cite this Entry

“Apprehending.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/apprehending. Accessed 18 Sep. 2026.

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