apprehend
Americanverb (used with object)
-
apprehends,
present (3rd person singular)
-
apprehended,
past participle, past
-
apprehending
present participle
-
to take into custody; arrest by legal warrant or authority.
The police apprehended the burglars.
-
to grasp the meaning of; understand, especially intuitively; perceive.
-
to expect with anxiety, suspicion, or fear; anticipate.
apprehending violence.
verb (used without object)
-
apprehends,
present (3rd person singular)
-
apprehended,
past participle, past
-
apprehending
present participle
-
to understand.
-
to be apprehensive, suspicious, or fearful; fear.
verb
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(tr) to arrest and escort into custody; seize
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to perceive or grasp mentally; understand
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(tr) to await with fear or anxiety; dread
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Inflected Forms
Participles
Conjugated Forms
Present
-
apprehendsimple
-
apprehendssimple
-
have apprehendedperfect
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has apprehendedperfect
-
am apprehendingprogressive
-
are apprehendingprogressive
-
is apprehendingprogressive
-
have been apprehendingperfect progressive
-
has been apprehendingperfect progressive
Past
-
apprehendedsimple
-
had apprehendedperfect
-
was apprehendingprogressive
-
were apprehendingprogressive
-
had been apprehendingperfect progressive
Future
Etymology
Origin of apprehend
First recorded in 1350–1400; Middle English apprehenden, from Latin apprehendere “to grasp,” from ap- ap- 1 + prehendere “to seize” (from pre-, prae- pre- + -hendere “to grasp”)
Explanation
To apprehend is to capture or arrest, as when the police try to apprehend criminals and bring them to justice. You also apprehend a concept when you understand it, grasping or capturing its meaning. The verb apprehend has remained much the same since the original Latin, both in form and meaning. It comes from apprehendere, "to grasp or seize." The word came to refer to learning — "grasping or seizing with the mind" — but then came to mean "seize in the name of the law" or "arrest" around the 1540s, a meaning that remains to this day. The word can also be used to suggest an anxious feeling about something about to happen.
Vocabulary lists containing apprehend
Romeo and Juliet
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"A Modest Proposal" by Jonathan Swift
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"Sorry, Wrong Number," Vocabulary from the play
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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.
See Examples For:
To begin, law enforcement agents cannot use deadly force merely to apprehend someone suspected of crime.
From Slate ● Oct. 19, 2026
"Every effort is being made to identify and apprehend the perpetrators of the attack," the spokesman said.
From Barron's ● May 23, 2026
He parked his vehicle to stop Malone from getting away and tried to apprehend him.
From BBC ● Apr. 14, 2026
In 2019, prosecutors brought charges using the minimum number of victims needed to apprehend Epstein in order to keep the case secret and avoid him fleeing, according to people familiar with the investigation.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Mar. 15, 2026
“We must apprehend them before they leave this building.”
From "A Confederacy of Dunces" by John Kennedy Toole
Porzak, a gifted photographer, apprehends the world visually, but to reach her mother as she slipped in and out of a coma, she used sound.
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 2, 2022
The Border Patrol apprehends migrants who cross the border unlawfully.
From New York Times ● Aug. 18, 2020
The Border Patrol apprehends people entering the U.S. illegally, both directly at the U.S.-Mexico border and with its series of highway checkpoints miles from the border.
From Seattle Times ● Jul. 23, 2019
Curtis Smiley, says Currier apprehends a high volume of violators and despite his effectiveness as a warden, he remains highly respected as a member of the sporting community.
From Washington Times ● Jun. 1, 2016
Volkheimer switches off the light, and Werner apprehends something excruciating held at bay there in the darkness.
From "All the Light We Cannot See" by Anthony Doerr
Morley was apprehended by Missouri State Highway Patrol "without incident" in Carroll County at 11:34am local time on Tuesday.
From BBC ● Nov. 4, 2026
Then on Wednesday, The Times newspaper reported that the incident had been foiled after one of the five suspects tipped off the police before the group was apprehended.
From Barron's ● Sep. 30, 2026
With the help of informants, Ilie, Velicu, Vasile and a fourth Romanian man were apprehended.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 20, 2026
An average of 400 migrants were apprehended while crossing into the U.S. every day in July, according to data by U.S.
From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 9, 2026
Some of these young Negroes, apprehended by the police, had described themselves as belonging to an organization they called “Blood Brothers.”
From "The Autobiography of Malcolm X" by Alex Malcolm X;Hailey
They distinguished between apprehending and deporting the “worst of the worst,” which the president promised to do, and arresting hardworking, mostly law-abiding neighbors.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Nov. 10, 2026
Only instead of just peacefully apprehending opponents, Doncic’s super-competitive alter ego wants to smash them all under an array of increasingly rude step-back jumpers.
From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 23, 2026
The viral photograph of federal authorities apprehending little Liam Conejo Ramos in his bunny ear beanie and Spider-Man backpack stunned viewers across the country, filling them with horror and rage.
From Salon ● Mar. 2, 2026
“If the U.S. government is unilaterally going into a sovereign country and apprehending somebody, you can understand the concern that sovereign entity might have,” Colombo told reporters outside the courthouse on Tuesday.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jan. 29, 2026
He took a step toward me, then hesitated and glanced back at the cannon, obviously torn between apprehending me and being faithful to his cue.
From "The Shakespeare Stealer" by Gary L. Blackwood
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