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Synonyms

arrival

American  
[uh-rahy-vuhl] / əˈraɪ vəl /

noun

  1. an act of arriving; a coming.

    His arrival was delayed by traffic.
    Synonyms:
    advent

  2. the reaching or attainment of any object or condition.

    arrival at a peace treaty.

  3. the person or thing that arrives or has arrived.

    First arrivals will be the first seated.
arrival British  
/ əˈraɪvəl /

noun

  1. the act or time of arriving

  2. a person or thing that arrives or has arrived

  3. the reaching of a condition or objective

"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Other Word Forms

  • nonarrival noun

Etymology

Origin of arrival

1350–1400; arrive + -al 2; replacing Middle English arivaille < Middle French

Example Sentences

Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.

Shortly after their arrival, they attended a service at a large church in Naperville, marking the first time they had worshiped openly as Christians.

From Los Angeles Times • Apr. 4, 2026

Stella’s arrival on the scene upsets the delicate balance of this little community, causing missed cues, injuries, canceled performances and worse.

From The Wall Street Journal • Apr. 3, 2026

Another idea examined in the MIT study involves using Starship itself as part of the mission during arrival.

From Science Daily • Apr. 3, 2026

Against a backdrop of blooming cherry blossoms, a group of geishas elegantly shuffle onto a stage in Japan's Kyoto city to begin a centuries-old performance celebrating the arrival of spring.

From Barron's • Apr. 3, 2026

Their stories begin long before America was born, with the arrival of the first Africans brought to American shores in chains.

From "In the Shadow of Liberty" by Kenneth C. Davis

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.