Dictionary Home » Dictionary Definitions » apprehend

apprehend

Listen See in Thesaurus See in a sentence

The definition of apprehend is to take someone into police custody.

(verb)

When the police pick up someone matching a description of a suspected criminal, that is an example of apprehend.

See apprehend in Webster's New World College Dictionary

transitive verb

to take into custody; capture or arrest
to take hold of mentally; perceive; understand
to anticipate with anxiety; dread
Obsolete to seize

Origin: ME apprehenden < LL apprehendere, to understand < L, to take hold of < ad-, to + prehendere: see prehensile

intransitive verb

to understand

See apprehend in American Heritage Dictionary 4

verb ap·pre·hend·ed, ap·pre·hend·ing, ap·pre·hends

verb, transitive

To take into custody; arrest: apprehended the murderer.
To grasp mentally; understand: a candidate who apprehends the significance of geopolitical issues.
To become conscious of, as through the emotions or senses; perceive.

verb, intransitive

To understand something.

Origin:

Origin: Middle English apprehenden

Origin: , from Old French apprehender

Origin: , from Latin apprehendere, to seize

Origin: : ad-, ad-

Origin: + prehendere, to grasp; see ghend- in Indo-European roots

Related Forms:

apˌpre·hendˈer noun

Learn more about apprehend

apprehend synonyms

apprehend in a sentence

link/cite print suggestion box

More from YD

» more results...