apprehend
verb
ap·pre·hend
ˌa-pri-ˈhend 
apprehended; apprehending; apprehends
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
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.
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
The rapper, who was in town to host and perform at a party at Friends Sports Bar & Kitchen, was apprehended by local law enforcement and subsequently detained.
—
Preezy Brown, VIBE.com, 25 Feb. 2025
But the path toward apprehending the culprit runs not through a procedural hunt but via an unlikely act of literary criticism.
—Katie Kitamura, New York Times, 25 Feb. 2025
The new effort in Southern California follows recent operations ordered by the Trump administration to apprehend individuals unlawfully residing in places such as Chicago and New York.
—Josh Campbell, CNN, 23 Feb. 2025
Dominique’s crimes were discovered after police apprehended him in 2020, when he was caught filming up the skirts of three women in a supermarket, and authorities confiscated his phones, hard drives, and a laptop.
—Katie Ebner-Landy, The New Yorker, 22 Feb. 2025
See All Example Sentences for apprehend
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Preezy Brown, VIBE.com, 25 Feb. 2025
But the path toward apprehending the culprit runs not through a procedural hunt but via an unlikely act of literary criticism.
—Katie Kitamura, New York Times, 25 Feb. 2025
The new effort in Southern California follows recent operations ordered by the Trump administration to apprehend individuals unlawfully residing in places such as Chicago and New York.
—Josh Campbell, CNN, 23 Feb. 2025
Dominique’s crimes were discovered after police apprehended him in 2020, when he was caught filming up the skirts of three women in a supermarket, and authorities confiscated his phones, hard drives, and a laptop.
—Katie Ebner-Landy, The New Yorker, 22 Feb. 2025
See All Example Sentences for apprehend
Cite this Entry
“Apprehend.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/apprehend. Accessed 9 Mar. 2025.
Copy CitationKids 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
Legal Definition
apprehend
transitive verb
ap·pre·hend
ˌa-prə-ˈhend
: arrest
Etymology
Latin apprehendere to seize, arrest, from ad to + prehendere to seize
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