Synonyms of arrests

arrests 1 of 2

verb

present tense third-person singular of arrest

1

as in seizes

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 & Similar Words

• seizes
• apprehends
• grabs
• restrains
• detains
• jails
• commits
• captures
• catches
• busts
• snatches
• runs in
• collars
• nails
• nabs
• pinches
• nicks
• picks up
• pulls in
• traps
• incarcerates
• imprisons
• bags
• handcuffs
• snaps (up)
• snares
• lands
• hooks
• locks (up)
• interns
• confines
• grapples
• rearrests
• remands
• enchains
• fetters
• gets
• binds
• shackles
• holds
• immures
• jugs
• trammels
• manacles

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

• discharges
• springs
• releases
• frees
• liberates
• loosens
• looses
• emancipates
• unbinds
• unchains

2

as in stops

to bring (something) to a standstill

cryogenics is based on the idea that extreme cold can almost arrest molecular motion

Synonyms & Similar Words

• stops
• halts
• stalls
• catches
• blocks
• checks
• stays
• stills
• hinders
• brings up
• suspends
• stems
• pulls up
• draws up
• detains
• holds up
• impedes
• ends
• fetches up
• obstructs
• snags
• holds
• blockades
• clogs
• concludes
• balks
• dams
• holds back
• baffles
• cuts off
• stunts
• bottlenecks
• calls
• terminates
• reins (in)
• suppresses
• turns back
• represses
• squashes
• discontinues
• chokes off
• stanches
• squelches

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

• continues
• keeps (on)
• persists
• advances
• marches
• runs on
• proceeds
• moves
• fares
• carries on
• follows through (with)
• progresses
• keeps up
• goes along
• spurs
• drives
• pushes
• stirs
• propels
• impels
• actuates
• wends
• goads
• budges

3

as in enchants

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 & Similar Words

• enchants
• fascinates
• grips
• thrills
• hypnotizes
• entrances
• mesmerizes
• catches up
• enthralls
• spellbinds
• bedazzles
• involves
• charms
• enraptures
• engages
• engrosses
• bewitches
• beguiles
• absorbs

arrests

2 of 2

noun

plural of arrest

1

as in raids

the act of taking into one's control by authority of law

there have been only two arrests for driving while intoxicated in the county in the last six months

Synonyms & Similar Words

• raids
• arrestments
• apprehensions
• seizures
• collars
• busts
• imprisonments
• pinches
• incarcerations
• detentions
• restraints
• captures
• rearrests
• captivities
• entrapments
• house arrests
• remands
• confinements
• enchainments
• immurements
• holds

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

• discharges
• releases
• liberations
• emancipations

2

as in cessations

the stopping of a process or activity

"hemostasis" is the technical term for arrest of bleeding

Synonyms & Similar Words

• cessations
• endings
• halts
• conclusions
• closures
• ends
• shutdowns
• stoppages
• stops
• terminations
• discontinuances
• discontinuations
• arrestments
• closes
• lapses
• shutoffs
• finishes
• ceases
• stays
• cutoffs
• expirations
• suspensions
• checks
• offsets
• pauses
• closedowns
• surceases
• interruptions
• layoffs
• phaseouts
• moratoriums
• mop-ups
• standstills
• breaks
• letups
• abeyances

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

• continuances
• continuations
• extensions
• prolongations
• persistences

Example Sentences

Recent Examples of arrests

Verb

Keith arrests our thinking, and cons us into suppressing our critical faculties with the same kind of internalized surveillance that philosopher Michel Foucault broke down to describe a prison’s use of the panopticon in Discipline and Punish. — Literary Hub, 19 May 2026

Devlin throws a punch at Stone when the chief arrests him for drunken driving. — Sandra Dallas, Denver Post, 19 Apr. 2026

The horrid image in the news of a column of smoke rising above the city of Tehran — an abyss of darkness against the gray sky — arrests my attention. — Babak Rahimi, San Diego Union-Tribune, 14 Apr. 2026

The Department of Damage Control arrests Trevor. — Jp Mangalindan, Time, 27 Jan. 2026

The sheer scale of an estate for sale in San Francisco’s tony Pacific Heights neighborhood — a residence spanning 26,000 square feet, or the equivalent of 10 average homes — arrests the imagination. — David Caraccio, Sacbee.com, 22 Jan. 2026

Bascombe is the one who arrests Jamie Miller (Cooper) under suspicion of murder. — Yamillah Hurtado, PEOPLE, 12 Jan. 2026

Police officer Hugo Crussi (Vogrincic) traces the voice to a young preacher, Jonas Flores (Zurita), and arrests him. — Anna Marie De La Fuente, Variety, 28 Oct. 2025

Noun

The arrests mark the first criminal charges announced in the investigation. — Verónica Egui Brito, Miami Herald, 27 July 2026

Adongo’s lawyers had previously attributed his arrests to mental illness, according to the Indianapolis Star. — Daniella Silva, NBC news, 26 July 2026

At least four other people are believed to have been involved in the incident; however, no other arrests have been made at this time. — Escher Walcott, PEOPLE, 26 July 2026

The arrests in Milwaukee reveal what can happen without these legal guardrails, critics say. — Eric Levenson, CNN Money, 26 July 2026

For many, official pledges of justice ring hollow in a country where few gang slayings are resolved beyond what critics call token arrests, typically of low-level hit men and not the masterminds. — Los Angeles Times, 26 July 2026

The increase in immigration arrests is leading to a strain on capacity not just at detention sites but also at processing facilities like the one in Miramar, causing dysfunction and rapidly deteriorating conditions. — Thomas Kennedy, Sun Sentinel, 26 July 2026

Blanc has a record of burglary and larceny arrests in Bridgeport and Trumbull dating back to 2010, police said. — Stephen Underwood, Hartford Courant, 25 July 2026

Although several arrests were made, no one was charged and it was never recovered. — Eduardo Tansley, New York Times, 19 July 2026