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arrest
[uh-rest]
verb (used with object)
to seize (a person) by legal authority or warrant; take into custody.
The police arrested the burglar.
Synonyms:to catch and hold; attract and fix; engage.
The loud noise arrested our attention.
Synonyms: , ,to check the course of; stop; slow down.
to arrest progress.
Synonyms:Medicine/Medical.to control or stop the active progress of (a disease).
The new drug did not arrest the cancer.
noun
the taking of a person into legal custody, as by officers of the law.
Synonyms: , ,any seizure or taking by force.
an act of stopping or the state of being stopped.
the arrest of tooth decay.
Synonyms: , , ,Machinery.any device for stopping machinery; stop.
arrest
/ əˈɛ /
verb
to deprive (a person) of liberty by taking him into custody, esp under lawful authority
to seize (a ship) under lawful authority
to slow or stop the development or progress of (a disease, growth, etc)
to catch and hold (one's attention, sight, etc)
law to stay proceedings after a verdict, on the grounds of error or possible error
informal(of a performer) is unrecognized and unsuccessful
he can't get arrested here but is a megastar in the States
noun
the act of taking a person into custody, esp under lawful authority
the act of seizing and holding a ship under lawful authority
the state of being held, esp under lawful authority
under arrest
Also called: arrestation.the slowing or stopping of the development or progress of something
the stopping or sudden cessation of motion of something
a cardiac arrest
Other Word Forms
- arrestable adjective
- arrestment noun
- postarrest adjective
- prearrest verb (used with object)
- prearrestment noun
- rearrest verb (used with object)
- unarrestable adjective
- unarrested adjective
Word History and Origins
Word History and Origins
Origin of arrest1
Idioms and Phrases
under arrest, in custody of the police or other legal authorities.
They placed the suspect under arrest at the scene of the crime.
Synonym Study
Example Sentences
US singer Chris Brown has kicked off his UK tour in Manchester, days before he is due back in court after being arrested in the city last month.
Two boys, aged 14 and 12, were arrested on suspicion of criminal damage after a report of a group of people throwing bottles at addresses in Lurgan, County Armagh.
She said a friend of Gavidia’s was arrested for assault of an officer.
Incensed by what he saw as the government’s failure to fulfill its promise to arrest and deport immigrants in the country illegally, he “eviscerated everyone,” according to one official who spoke to the Washington Examiner.
Eight years ago, Saldana was arrested for a violent crime, but the criminal charges were dropped and he was subsequently deported, Medina said.
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When To Use
To arrest someone is to seize them or take them into custody with authority.Related to that, an arrest is the act of police or other law enforcement officials detaining someone suspected of committing a crime when there is probable cause.Arrest can also more generally mean to attract and engage, such as with attention or sight. For example, a loud clap of thunder might arrest your attention for a moment, if you weren’t expecting it.Arrest also means to slow or stop, such as with progress or growth. You might, for example, arrest the growth of a plant by keeping it in the dark while continuing to water it. Such an arrest could lead the plant to die.Example: You are under arrest for conspiracy to commit grand theft auto.
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
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