arrest

1 to take or keep under one's control by authority of law the inept robber was promptly arrested by the off-duty policeman he had tried to hold up Synonyms apprehend, bust [slang], collar, nab, nail, nick [British slang], pick up, pinch, pull in, restrain, run in, seize Related Words bag, capture, catch, get, grab, grapple, hook, land, snap (up), snare, snatch, trap; commit, confine, detain, hold, immure, imprison, incarcerate, intern, jail, jug, lock (up); bind, enchain, fetter, handcuff, manacle, shackle, trammel; rearrest; remand Near Antonyms emancipate, free, liberate, loose, loosen, release, spring; unbind, unchain Antonyms discharge

2 to bring (something) to a standstill cryogenics is based on the idea that extreme cold can almost arrest molecular motion Synonyms halt, bring up, catch, check, draw up, fetch up, hold up, pull up, stall, stay, still, stopRelated Words baffle, balk, block, blockade, bottleneck, clog, dam, detain, hinder, hold, hold back, impede, obstruct, snag, stem; conclude, cut off, end, terminate; call, discontinue, suspend; choke off, rein (in), repress, squash, squelch, stanch (or staunch), stunt, suppress, turn backNear Antonyms carry on, continue, follow through (with), keep (on), keep up, persist, run on; advance, fare, go along, march, move, proceed, progress, wend; actuate, budge, drive, goad, impel, propel, push, spur, stir

3 to hold the attention of as if by a spell the sight of the daredevil walking a tightrope between high-rises arrested area pedestrians and motorists alike Synonyms enthrall, bedazzle, catch up, enchant, fascinate, grip, hypnotize, mesmerize, spellbindRelated Words enrapture, entrance, thrill; beguile, bewitch, charm; absorb, engage, engross, involve