apprehension
noun
Did you know?
Latin Helps Build Apprehension
There’s quite a bit to comprehend about apprehension, so let’s take a closer look at its history. The Latin ancestor of apprehension (and of comprehend, prehensile, and even prison, among others) is the verb prehendere, meaning “to grasp” or “to seize.” When it was first used in the 14th century, apprehension could refer to the act of learning, a sense that is now obsolete, or the ability or power to understand things—learning and understanding both being ways to “grasp” knowledge or information. It wasn’t until the late 16th century that apprehension was used, as it still is today, for the physical seizure of something or someone (as an arrest). The most commonly used sense of apprehension today refers to a feeling that something bad is about to happen, when you seize up, perhaps, with anxiety or dread, having grasped all the unpleasant possibilities.
Examples of apprehension in a Sentence
Joshua Goodman, Los Angeles Times, 27 May 2025
Amid rewards of $20,000 for tips leading to an apprehension, more than 200 law enforcement personnel led by the Louisiana State Police are seeking to capture them and anyone helping them.
—Chris Kenning, USA Today, 25 May 2025
Other polls from the same period showed similar apprehensions.
—Ruth Marcus, New Yorker, 25 May 2025
The total apprehensions for April this year landed at 8,383, compared with last year's 129,000.
—Audrey Conklin, FOXNews.com, 20 May 2025
See All Example Sentences for apprehension
Cite this Entry
“Apprehension.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/apprehension. Accessed 6 Jun. 2025.
Copy CitationKids Definition
apprehension
noun
Legal Definition
apprehension
noun
Share