arrival

noun

ar·​riv·​al ə-ˈrī-vəl 

1

: the act of arriving

2

: the attainment of an end or state

3

: one that has recently arrived

new arrivals

Synonyms

• advent
• appearance
• coming

Examples of arrival in a Sentence

They were awaiting the arrival of guests.

When is the mail scheduled for arrival?

They track the number of airport arrivals and departures.

They were late arrivals at the party.

They are eagerly awaiting the arrival of their wedding day.

the changes that occur with the arrival of spring

the arrival of new technology

Recent Examples on the Web

Passengers who’d fallen ill on the Serenade of the Seas were isolated, disembarking separately upon arrival. —Miami Herald, 3 Oct. 2025

Upon arrival, authorities found a van and other vehicles on fire. —Colson Thayer, PEOPLE, 2 Oct. 2025

The club’s former general manager Pierpaolo Marino then poured fuel on the fire by questioning whether Scott McTominay should have been pushed out to the left of midfield to make way for summer arrival De Bruyne. —Tim Spiers, New York Times, 2 Oct. 2025

Businesses catering to newer arrivals opened in shopping areas with Mexican and Puerto Rican shops. —Gisela Salomon, Fortune, 2 Oct. 2025

Word History

Etymology

Middle English arivaile, arrival "act of arriving, landing, disembarkation," borrowed from Anglo-French arrivayle, arivail, from ariver, arriver "to arrive entry 1" + -ayle, -ail, in part going back to Latin -ālis -al entry 2, in part a collective suffix going back to Latin -ālia, from neuter plural of -ālis -al entry 1

First Known Use

14th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Phrases Containing arrival

• dead on arrival
• departure/arrival time

Rhymes for arrival

• archival
• revival
• survival
• conjunctival
• rival
• subconjunctival

Kids Definition

arrival

noun

ar·​riv·​al ə-ˈrī-vəl 

1

: the act of arriving

await the arrival of guests

2

: a person or thing that has arrived

late arrivals at a concert