citizen's arrest

noun

: an arrest made not by a law officer but by a citizen who derives authority from the fact of being a citizen

Examples of citizen's arrest in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Celebrity Big Brother producers address show's prolonged absence (exclusive) A CVS employee then signed a citizen's arrest form for the theft. Lauren Huff, EW.com, 8 Mar. 2025 Sheriff's deputies arrived in the neighborhood following the citizen's arrest. Sarah Rumpf-Whitten, Fox News, 6 Feb. 2025 White and his neighbors decided to make a citizen's arrest. Caroline Thayer, Fox News, 15 Jan. 2025 Gardner was injured during the citizen's arrest and admitted to Vanderbilt University Medical Center, where he is being guarded by police and will be booked in a Davidson County Jail on criminal homicide charges when he is released, police said. Kirsten Fiscus, The Tennessean, 15 Nov. 2024 See All Example Sentences for citizen's arrest

Word History

First Known Use

1940, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of citizen's arrest was in 1940

Browse Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Citizen's arrest.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/citizen%27s%20arrest. Accessed 13 Mar. 2025.

Legal Definition

citizen's arrest

see arrest

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
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