apprehend

verb

ap·​pre·​hend ˌa-pri-ˈhend 

apprehended; apprehending; apprehends

transitive verb

1

: arrest, seize

apprehend a thief

2

a

: to become aware of : perceive

She immediately apprehended the problem.

b

: to anticipate especially with anxiety, dread, or fear

3

: to grasp with the understanding : recognize the meaning of

intransitive verb

: understand, grasp

Did you know?

To apprehend is to seize, either physically or mentally. So to apprehend a thief is to nab him. But to apprehend a confusing news story, or to apprehend a difficult concept in physics, is to understand it—that is, to "grasp" it mentally. If you're apprehensive about something that's about to happen, it means you've grasped all the unpleasant possibilities and are waiting with anxiety or dread.

Synonyms

• appreciate
• assimilate
• behold
• catch
• catch on (to)
• cognize
• compass
• comprehend
• conceive
• cotton (to or on to)
• decipher
• decode
• dig
• discern
• get
• grasp
• grok
• intuit
• know
• make
• make out
• perceive
• recognize
• register
• savvy
• see
• seize
• sense
• tumble (to)
• twig
• understand

Examples of apprehend in a Sentence

Within hours, police had apprehended the thief.

subtle differences that are difficult to apprehend

Recent Examples on the Web

The unidentified person was apprehended after having been booted from the flight before takeoff, Delta said in a statement Thursday. —Jay Blackman, NBC News, 26 Dec. 2024

The recent stowaway was apprehended after boarding a flight from Seattle to Honolulu on Dec. 24, according to the airline. —Ayesha Ali, ABC News, 26 Dec. 2024

Most of the deportations in fiscal year 2024 involved migrants who were apprehended by U.S. border officials, as opposed to those arrested by ICE in the interior of the country, the agency report shows. —Camilo Montoya-Galvez, CBS News, 19 Dec. 2024

Watson was apprehended when his ship docked in Greenland in July. —Reuters, CNN, 17 Dec. 2024

Word History

Etymology

Middle English, from Latin apprehendere, literally, to seize, from ad- + prehendere to seize — more at get

First Known Use

15th century, in the meaning defined at transitive sense 1

Kids Definition

apprehend

verb

ap·​pre·​hend ˌap-ri-ˈhend 

1

: arrest entry 1 sense 2

apprehend a burglar

2

: to look forward to with fear and uncertainty

3

: understand sense 1a

Legal Definition

apprehend

transitive verb

ap·​pre·​hend ˌa-prə-ˈhend 

: arrest

Etymology

Latin apprehendere to seize, arrest, from ad to + prehendere to seize