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arrest definition

ar·rest (ə rest′)

transitive verb

  1. to stop or check the motion, course, or spread of
  2. to seize or take into custody by authority of the law
  3. to catch and keep (one's attention, sight, etc.)

Etymology: ME aresten < OFr arester < VL *arrestare < L ad-, to + restare, to stop, rest

noun

  1. an arresting or being arrested; esp., a taking or being taken into custody by authority of the law
  2. a thing for checking motion

Etymology: ME & OFr arest < the v.

Related Forms:

arrest Idioms

under arrest

in legal custody, as of the police

Webster's New World College Dictionary Copyright © 2005 by Wiley Publishing, Inc., Cleveland, Ohio.
Used by arrangement with John Wiley & Sons, Inc.

Alternate definitions:

idioms arrest idiom

law arrest definition - legal

medical arrest definition - medical

arrest Synonyms

arrest

n.

  1. Legal restraint

    apprehension, taking into custody, imprisonment, commitment, confinement, incarceration, capture, protective custody, preventive custody, restraining, taking by force, constraint, seizure, detention, pinch*, pickup*, bust*, collar*; see also imprisonment 1.

    Antonyms freeing*, acquittal*, release. *

  2. Act of stopping

    check, checking, stay, staying, stoppage, interruption, hindrance, obstruction, restraining, cessation, prevention, suspension, suppression, holdup*, letup*; *see also delay 1, restraint 2.

    Antonyms action*, continuation*, extension.

under arrest

arrested, in custody, caught, apprehended, taken into custody, seized, taken in, handcuffed, confined, jailed, imprisoned, detained, shut up, penned up, put in irons, sent to prison, busted, sent to jail, booked, pinched*, collared*, nabbed*, sent up the river*.


arrest

v.

  1. To seize legally

    apprehend, take into custody, take charge of, take hold of, hold, place under arrest, take into protective custody, capture, seize by legal warrant, take by authority, imprison, jail, incarcerate, detain, secure, seize, get, catch, take prisoner, lay by the heels*, lay one's hands on*, nab*, collar*, grab*, run in*, pick up*, bust*, nail*. *

    Antonyms free*, liberate*, parole. *

  2. To stop

    restrain, restrict, slow down, check; see halt 2, hinder, prevent.


Webster's New World Roget's A-Z Thesaurus Copyright © 1999 by Wiley Publishing, Inc., Cleveland, Ohio.
Used by arrangement with John Wiley & Sons, Inc.

arrest Usage Examples

Object

  • suspect: Chief Inspector Edward Greeno, who was heading the inquiry into Miriam's murder, was notified of the arrested suspect 's description.

Preposition: on

  • suspicion: Friday, March 18, 2005 Two men have been arrested on suspicion of drug offenses during two seperate operations in the city.

Subject

  • Gestapo: The persons arrested by the Gestapo were as a rule sent to concentration camps.

Converse of object

  • resist: Lee broken mikes fronting slack Punk they cut a smile into our faces with still half an audience resisting arrest.

Adjective modifier

  • cardiac: Will giving electric shocks to a patient who is not in cardiac arrest be more harmful than just waiting for the professionals to arrive?

Modifies a noun

  • warrant: Cohen filed a motion to vacate the arrest warrant, citing the threat to human life.

Noun used with modifier

  • cell-cycle: Nonetheless, it has been shown that, in certain cells, WT1 can induce cell-cycle arrest and apoptosis ( Ref.

Preposition: for

  • drink-driving: When the owner went to look at the damage, she was arrested for drink-driving.

Preposition: by

  • Gestapo: The persons arrested by the Gestapo were as a rule sent to concentration camps.
arrest usage examples (more)

The word usage examples above have been gathered from various sources to reflect current and historical usage. They do not represent the opinions of YourDictionary.com.

arrest quotes

At the still point of the turning world. Neither flesh nor fleshless; Neither from nor towards; at the still point, there the dance is, But neither arrest nor movement.

-Eliot,T(homas) S(tearns)

arrest quotes (more)

Webster's New World Dictionary of Quotations Copyright © 2005 by Chambers Harrap Publishers Ltd. All rights reserved. Published by Wiley, Hoboken, NJ. Used by arrangement with John Wiley & Sons, Inc.

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MLA Style

"arrest." Webster's New World College Dictionary. 2009

  • Your Dictionary. 4 July 2009
  • <www.yourdictionary.com/arrest>

APA Style

arrest. (2009). In Webster's New World College Dictionary

  • Retrieved July 4th, 2009, from www.yourdictionary.com/arrest

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