arrest

1 of 2

verb

ar·​rest ə-ˈrest 

arrested; arresting; arrests

transitive verb

1

: seize, capture

specifically : to take or keep in custody by authority of law

Police arrested the suspect.

2

a

: to bring to a stop

Sickness arrested his activities.

b

: check, slow

Its growth was arrested.

c

: to make inactive

an arrested tumor

3

: to catch suddenly and engagingly

arrest attention

arrester noun

or less commonly arrestor

ə-ˈre-stər 

arrestment

ə-ˈres(t)-mənt 

noun

arrest

2 of 2

noun

1

: the taking or detaining in custody by authority of law

The investigation led to his arrest.

2

a

: the act of stopping

b

: the condition of being stopped or inactive compare cardiac arrest

Phrases

under arrest

: in legal custody

The suspect was placed under arrest.

Synonyms

Verb

• apprehend
• bust [slang]
• collar
• nab
• nail
• nick [British slang]
• pick up
• pinch
• pull in
• restrain
• run in
• seize

Noun

• apprehension
• arrestment
• bust [slang]
• collar
• pinch

Examples of arrest in a Sentence

Verb

The police arrested him on drug charges.

The police officer said, “I'm arresting you in the name of the law.”

The drugs can't arrest the disease's progress, but they can slow it down considerably.

Noun

The police are investigating the case but they have not yet made any arrests.

She was charged with resisting arrest.

The information has led to the arrest of three suspects.

Recent Examples on the Web

Verb

The more arresting its doomsday images—a daring raid on the White House, a fiery assault on the Lincoln Memorial—the more Garland’s war loses itself in a nonpartisan fog, a thought experiment that short-circuits thought. —Justin Chang, The New Yorker, 12 Apr. 2024

Folsom police officers arrested two suspects accused of uttering homophobic slurs while punching and kicking a man dozens of times Thursday at a park near the Folsom City Zoo Sanctuary, police said. —Ishani Desai, Sacramento Bee, 12 Apr. 2024

He was arrested for Halbach's murder while that civil suit was still pending. —Christina Coulter, Fox News, 12 Apr. 2024

The 20-year-old Bentonville resident was arrested Nov. 2 on a charge of first-degree terroristic threatening, according to court records. —Lauren Liebhaber, Kansas City Star, 12 Apr. 2024

Anderson, who was arrested April 4, was charged Friday with first-degree intentional homicide, mutilating a corpse and arson. —Elliot Hughes, Journal Sentinel, 12 Apr. 2024

Other Manatee County residents charged Two other men with ties to the Bradenton area were arrested for taking part in the Jan. 6 riot at the Capitol. —Michael Moore Jr., Miami Herald, 12 Apr. 2024

One by one, students who were arrested last week addressed the crowd and emphasized their desire for divestment. —Jaweed Kaleem, Los Angeles Times, 12 Apr. 2024

John accused Shannon of the same crime the following month in an Instagram video posted in July 2023 by K.C., who was arrested for allegedly making threats against his sister’s life that same month. —Nicole Briese, Peoplemag, 12 Apr. 2024

Noun

He is tasked with recovering a stash of money hidden by his late father, cartel leader Benito Aretas, and avenging his death by assassinating those responsible for his arrest and conviction. —Jacqueline Weiss, Peoplemag, 13 Apr. 2024

Police said the man already had been charged with shoplifting in Arlington County, where authorities had an arrest warrant for him. —Peter Hermann, Washington Post, 13 Apr. 2024

One week after his arrest, Maxwell S. Anderson has been charged with killing and dismembering 19-year-old Sade Carleena Robinson. —Elliot Hughes, Journal Sentinel, 12 Apr. 2024

Since the new ordinance took effect at the end of July, San Diego Police made 61 arrests under the old encroachment ordinance — about 10 times as many — and issued 584 citations. —Calmatters, The Mercury News, 12 Apr. 2024

The arrest came after a joint investigation between the Springfield Township Police Department, the Hamilton County Corner’s Office and the Hamilton County Prosecutor’s Office. —Aaron Valdez, The Enquirer, 12 Apr. 2024

Not only was then-NBC West Coast president Don Ohlmeyer one of Simpson’s best friends, but just a month before the killings of Nicole Brown Simpson and Ron Goldman — followed by Simpson’s white Ford Bronco flight from justice and arrest — NBC had passed on a pilot starring the ex-football-star. —Michael Schneider, Variety, 12 Apr. 2024

The three suspects were arrested after a foot pursuit and face charges related to fraud and evading arrest, police said. —Ishani Desai, Sacramento Bee, 2 Apr. 2024

Others criticized police for making an arrest without speaking to several witnesses who claimed that Epstein never pushed the vice mayor. —Aaron Leibowitz, Miami Herald, 1 Apr. 2024

Word History

Etymology

Verb

Middle English aresten, arresten "to stop, halt (something or someone), come to a halt, wait, restrain, seize (a lawbreaker), take into custody," borrowed from Anglo-French arester (also continental Old French), going back to Vulgar Latin *arrestāre, from Latin ad- ad- (in Vulgar Latin marking or reinforcing transitivity) + restāre "to remain, be left unchanged" — more at rest entry 4

Noun

Middle English arest, arrest, borrowed from Anglo-French arest, areste, noun derivative of arester "to stop, hinder, seize and detain (a lawbreaker)" — more at arrest entry 1

First Known Use

Verb

14th century, in the meaning defined at sense 2a

Noun

14th century, in the meaning defined at sense 2a

Phrases Containing arrest

• cardiac arrest
• citizen's arrest
• evade capture/arrest
• false arrest
• house arrest
• respiratory arrest
• under arrest

Kids Definition

arrest

1 of 2 verb

ar·​rest ə-ˈrest 

1

a

: to stop the progress or movement of

b

: check entry 2 sense 3, slow

arrest a disease

2

: to take or keep in one's control by authority of law

arrest someone on suspicion of robbery

3

: to attract and hold the attention of

colors that arrest the eye

arrest

2 of 2 noun

1

a

: the act of stopping

b

: the state of being stopped

2

: the act of taking or holding in one's control by authority of law

Medical Definition

arrest

1 of 2 transitive verb

ar·​rest ə-ˈrest 

: to bring to a standstill or state of inactivity

arrested tuberculosis

arrested labor

intransitive verb

: to undergo cardiac arrest

the … patient has arrested while being transported to surgery

—Wayne Fields

arrestment noun

arrest

2 of 2 noun

: the condition of being stopped

developmental arrest

see cardiac arrest compare cure entry 1 sense 1, remission

Legal Definition

arrest

1 of 2 noun

ar·​rest

ə-ˈrest

: the restraining and seizure of a person whether or not by physical force by someone acting under authority (as a police officer) in connection with a crime in such a manner that it is reasonable under the circumstances for the person to believe that he or she is not free to leave see also miranda warnings, probable cause at cause sense 2, warrant compare stop

— citizen's arrest

: an arrest made not by a law officer but by any citizen who derives the authority to arrest from the fact of being a citizen

Note: Under common law, a citizen may make an arrest for any felony actually committed, or for a breach of the peace committed in his or her presence.

— civil arrest

: the arrest and detention of a defendant in a civil suit until he or she posts bail or pays the judgment see also capias ad respondendum

Note: Civil arrest is restricted or prohibited in most states.

— custodial arrest

: an arrest of a person accompanied by or followed by taking the person into custody

— false arrest

: an arrest made without legal authority

called also unlawful arrest

Note: If a person is taken into custody, no matter how briefly, a false arrest is also false imprisonment.

— pretext arrest \ ˈprē-​ˌtekst-​ \

: the arrest of a person for a minor crime (as a traffic violation) for the real purpose of getting an opportunity to investigate (as through a search) the person's possible involvement in a more serious crime for which there are no lawful grounds to make an arrest

called also pretextual arrest

— unlawful arrest

: false arrest in this entry

arrest

2 of 2 transitive verb

: to place under arrest

arrester noun

also arrestor

Etymology

Noun

Middle French arest, from arester to stop, seize, arrest, ultimately from Latin ad to, at + restare to stay