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arrest

arrest

2.7
The act of detaining someone by the police
  • noun
  • /əˈrɛst/
translation icon : detención
  • We now have body camera footage of the arrest of this suspect, Ryan Ruth.
  • a drug arrest
  • arrest rate
  • a hard drug arrest

Brian Rolfe said yeah, you're under arrest for fraud, deception.

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Examples

  • Hand over your command and report yourself under arrest to my headquarters!

  • Furthermore, arrests for drug use disrupt the lives of drug users, their families, and their neighbors.

    Academic text (2011)
  • Now, here is the official arrest photo.

  • There should be no arbitrary arrest of subjects.

  • The prison population increased every year, but arrests remained constant.

  • I have a warrant for her arrest.

  • - I'm sorry, but you're under arrest.

  • At the time of his arrest, Nakamura had pancreatic cancer.

  • You're under arrest, Evelyn, and the sheriff's here.

  • The police made an arrest after a long investigation into the robbery.

Synonyms

collar
vsarrest
  • Jargon
37 7.7

An arrest of a person, often a criminal

is the formal legal action not an informal catching phrase
taking into custody
vsarrest
  • Formal
34 5.4

Holding someone after the police arrest them

is the common legal word for that act
apprehension
vsarrest
17 6.1

The capture of a person by the police

is the general legal action of detaining rather than just capture
detainment
vsarrest
7 6.7

Being held by police or officials for a short time

is the act of detaining someone not the state of being held
pinch
vsarrest
  • Slang
5 7.7

The act of catching and arresting a criminal

is the official legal act rather than a casual expression

Antonyms

1.8

To let someone or something go free from being held

127 3.9

The act of setting people free from control or unfair treatment

Compounds

house arrest
  • Formal
49 4.0

A legal order to stay at home instead of going to prison

cardiac arrest
  • Specialized
48 3.7

A sudden stop of the heart that stops blood flow and can cause death if not treated

42 3.8

A paper from a judge that lets police take a person to a station and bring them to court

25 7.0

To use physical force against the police when they try to arrest you

1 5.4

When the heart and lungs suddenly stop working, breathing and heartbeat stop

How Serious

imprisonment
  • Formal
88 4.0
custody
  • Specialized
370 3.9
arrest
2.7
detention
155 3.9

Surface Forms

arrest singular
arrests plural

Etymology

Arrest comes from an old French verb and the Latin root restare, which means 'to stay' or 'stand still'. It is like the English word rest, which means to stop moving. So an arrest is the law's way of 'stopping' a person.