arrest

/əˈrɛst/
/əˈrɛst/
IPA guide

Other forms: arrested; arrests; arresting

To arrest someone is to put them in custody for breaking the law. If you face arrest, your criminal activities will be "at rest" because you'll be behind bars, or in jail.

Arrest is both a noun and a verb. When you place a person "under arrest," you take them into custody and hold them so they can’t continue breaking the law. A police officer or other agent of the law will arrest a person often by physically taking them away. In addition to the legal meaning, arrest means "stop." To arrest motion is to stop a person or thing from moving.

Definitions of arrest
  1. verb
    take into custody
    synonyms: apprehend, collar, cop, nab, nail, pick up
    see moresee less
    type of:
    clutch, prehend, seize
    take hold of; grab
  2. noun
    the act of apprehending (especially apprehending a criminal)
    synonyms: apprehension, catch, collar, pinch, taking into custody
    see moresee less
    type of:
    capture, gaining control, seizure
    the act of forcibly dispossessing an owner of property
  3. verb
    hold back, as of a danger or an enemy; check the expansion or influence of
    “Arrest the downward trend”
    synonyms: check, contain, hold back, stop, turn back
    see moresee less
    types:
    cut down, cut out
    intercept (a player)
    type of:
    defend
    be on the defensive; act against an attack
  4. verb
    cause to stop
    “Arrest the progress”
    synonyms: halt, hold
    see moresee less
    type of:
    stop
    cause to stop
  5. noun
    the state of inactivity following an interruption
    “the negotiations were in arrest”
    synonyms: check, halt, hitch, stay, stop, stoppage
    see moresee less
    types:
    countercheck
    a check that restrains another check
    logjam
    any stoppage attributable to unusual activity
    type of:
    inaction, inactiveness, inactivity
    the state of being inactive
  6. verb
    attract and fix
    synonyms: catch, get
    see moresee less
    type of:
    attract, draw, draw in, pull, pull in
    direct toward itself or oneself by means of some psychological power or physical attributes
Pronunciation
US
/əˈrɛst/
UK
/əˈrɛst/
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Vocabulary lists containing arrest

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Warm-up, List 1

This list of warm-up words features common words on the test that you're probably familiar with. Brush up on these words first to make sure that you start off strong while taking the GRE.

"Martin's Big Words: The Life of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr." and "I Have a Dream"

Learn these words from the biography by Doreen Rappaport (Inside: Level C, Unit 3) Here is our link to a list of words from the full text: I Have a Dream Here are our links to the selections of "Making a Difference": The Civil Rights Movement, Midway, Martin's Big Words; I Have a Dream, Speaking Up, Speeches on the Little Rock Nine Here are our links to the units of Level C: Unit 1, Unit 2, Unit 3, Unit 4, Unit 5, Unit 6, Unit 7, Unit 8 Here are our links to the Inside books: Level A, Level B, Level C Here is our link to a list of academic vocabulary for Inside: Academic Vocabulary

"Harriet Tubman: Conductor on the Underground Railroad"

Learn these words from the excerpt of the biography by Ann Petry (Inside: Level A, Unit 6). Here is our link to a list of words from the full text: Harriet Tubman Here are our links to the selections of "Struggle for Freedom": Escaping to Freedom; Follow the Drinking Gourd, Brave Butterflies, Farah Ahmedi, Seeking Freedom, Harriet Tubman Here are our links to the units of Level A: Unit 1, Unit 2, Unit 3, Unit 4, Unit 5, Unit 6, Unit 7, Unit 8 Here are our links to the Inside books: Level A, Level B, Level C Here is our link to a list of academic vocabulary for Inside: Academic Vocabulary

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