apprehend

verb

ap·​pre·​hend ˌa-pri-ˈhend 

apprehended; apprehending; apprehends

transitive verb

1

: arrest, seize

apprehend a thief

2

a

: to become aware of : perceive

She immediately apprehended the problem.

b

: to anticipate especially with anxiety, dread, or fear

3

: to grasp with the understanding : recognize the meaning of

intransitive verb

: understand, grasp

Did you know?

To apprehend is to seize, either physically or mentally. So to apprehend a thief is to nab him. But to apprehend a confusing news story, or to apprehend a difficult concept in physics, is to understand it—that is, to "grasp" it mentally. If you're apprehensive about something that's about to happen, it means you've grasped all the unpleasant possibilities and are waiting with anxiety or dread.

Synonyms

• appreciate
• assimilate
• behold
• catch
• catch on (to)
• cognize
• compass
• comprehend
• conceive
• cotton (to or on to)
• decipher
• decode
• dig
• discern
• get
• grasp
• grok
• intuit
• know
• make
• make out
• perceive
• recognize
• register
• savvy
• see
• seize
• sense
• tumble (to)
• twig
• understand

Examples of apprehend in a Sentence

Within hours, police had apprehended the thief.

subtle differences that are difficult to apprehend

Recent Examples on the Web

At the time, he was apprehended by Border Patrol and turned over to the Office of Refugee Resettlement (ORR) before being placed with a sponsor in Memphis. —Greg Wehner , Bill Melugin, FOXNews.com, 2 May 2025

He was apprehended shortly thereafter and agreed to do an interview with investigators. —Justin Muszynski, Hartford Courant, 2 May 2025

Agents apprehended him in just a few minutes, parked his car off the road and drove away with him in a van. —Stephanie Elam, CNN Money, 2 May 2025

The piece was impossible to grasp in its totality, much as the forces contributing to the deterioration of the environment are difficult for us as humans to apprehend, which pushes us toward inaction or neglect. —Naima Morelli, Artforum, 1 May 2025

Word History

Etymology

Middle English, from Latin apprehendere, literally, to seize, from ad- + prehendere to seize — more at get

First Known Use

15th century, in the meaning defined at transitive sense 1

Rhymes for apprehend

• comprehend
• condescend
• dividend
• recommend
• resuspend
• amend
• append
• ascend
• attend
• backend
• befriend
• boyfriend

Kids Definition

apprehend

verb

ap·​pre·​hend ˌap-ri-ˈhend 

1

: arrest entry 1 sense 2

apprehend a burglar

2

: to look forward to with fear and uncertainty

3

: understand sense 1a

Legal Definition

apprehend

transitive verb

ap·​pre·​hend ˌa-prə-ˈhend 

: arrest

Etymology

Latin apprehendere to seize, arrest, from ad to + prehendere to seize