What does "apprehend" mean?
To be or become aware of (something); to perceive.
Apprehend
/ˌæpɹɪˈhɛnd/ verb
verb ·Common ·High school level
Meaning at a glance
- Primary sense: To be or become aware of (something); to perceive.
- Grammar: apprehend is listed as verb.
- Nearest alternatives: arrest, comprehend, grasp, nab.
- Useful contrasts: relishing, calm, hope.
- Usage evidence: The police expect to apprehend the robber before nightfall.
How to use "apprehend"
- Start with the primary definition, then check the part of speech before placing the word in a sentence.
- Compare nearby synonyms to make sure "apprehend" carries the exact meaning, tone, and strength you need.
- Use the example sentence as a context check. If your sentence uses the word differently, confirm that the grammar still fits.
Meaning check
- Does the word fit the sentence's grammar?
- Does it match the intended tone rather than only the dictionary definition?
- Would a simpler synonym be clearer for the reader?
- Is there enough surrounding context to prevent ambiguity?
Source and review context
This entry combines structured lexical data with WordToolSet review checks. Definitions, examples, synonyms, and usage notes may come from different source tables, so the page is designed to show evidence from more than one angle before you rely on "apprehend" in a final draft.
If a word has several senses, prefer the sense that matches your sentence's grammar and surrounding context. A correct definition can still be the wrong choice when the sentence needs a different register, emphasis, or level of specificity.
Before you rely on this definition
Read the first definition as a starting point, then check the example, synonyms, and part of speech before treating "apprehend" as the right word for your sentence.
If your draft is formal, technical, persuasive, or sensitive, compare "apprehend" with a nearby alternative so the final choice matches both meaning and reader expectation.
Compare nearby meanings
- Use synonyms when you need a softer, stronger, simpler, or more specific word.
- Use antonyms to check the boundary of the meaning and avoid accidental contrast.
- Use the example sentence to confirm the word behaves naturally in context.
- Keep the original wording when a replacement adds complexity without improving precision.
Definition decision workflow
1. Identify the role
Check whether "apprehend" is acting as verb in your sentence. A definition is only useful when the grammar matches the way the word is being used.
2. Test the nearest option
Compare it with "arrest" and other nearby choices to see whether the sentence needs a softer, stronger, or more familiar word.
3. Confirm with context
Use the example sentence below as an evidence check, then read your own sentence out loud to catch tone or rhythm problems.
Review note: Definition pages are checked for source coverage, sentence evidence, synonym support, and editorial insight before they are treated as approval-ready pages. If the evidence is too thin, the page remains available to users but is kept out of the approval-facing indexed inventory.
Final meaning check
Before publishing a sentence with "apprehend", ask whether the word helps the reader understand the idea faster. A precise word should reduce confusion, not simply make the sentence look more polished.
When the definition, synonym evidence, and example context point in the same direction, the word is usually a safer choice. When they conflict, revise the sentence or choose a clearer alternative.
Definitions
Verb
- 1 To be or become aware of (something); to perceive. transitive
"[…] Angel ſignifieth there, nothing but God himſelf, that cauſed Agar ſupernaturally to apprehend a voice from heaven; or rather, nothing elſe but a Voice ſupernaturall, teſtifying Gods ſpeciall preſence there."
- 2 get the meaning of something wordnet
- 3 To acknowledge the existence of (something); to recognize. transitive
"[E]ach man for his own sake / Accepts you as his guide, avails him of what worth / He apprehends in you to sublimate his earth / With fire: […]"
- 4 take into custody wordnet
- 5 To take hold of (something) with understanding; to conceive (something) in the mind; to become cognizant of; to understand. transitive
"If to apprehend Chriſte be vnderſtanded, to dvvell in Chriſte, and to haue him dvvell in vs, it is not true that Chriſte is apprehended in that ſorte, by onely faith vvithout charitie. […] He apprehendeth Chriſte truely, that cleaueth vnto Chriſt, and the glue vvhereby the ſovvle is fastned vnto Chriſte, ſaith S. Auguſtine, is charitie: […]"
Show 11 more definitions
- 6 anticipate with dread or anxiety wordnet
- 7 To have a conception of (something); to consider, to regard. transitive
"Tim[on]. That's a laſciuious apprehenſion. / Ape[mantus]. So, thou apprehend'ſt it, / Take it for thy labour."
- 8 To anticipate (something, usually unpleasant); especially, to anticipate (something) with anxiety, dread, or fear; to dread, to fear. transitive
"O let my Lady apprehend no feare, / In all Cupids pageant there is preſented no monſter."
- 9 To seize or take (something); to take hold of. also, archaic, figuratively, obsolete, transitive
"Nicias a certaine hunter going abroad in the woods, chaunced to fall into a heape of burning coales, hauing no helpe about him but his dogs, there he periſhed, yet they ranne to the high waies and ceaſed not with barking and apprehending the garments of paſſengers, to ſhew vnto them ſome direfull euent: and at laſt one of the trauailers followed the dogs, and came to the place where they ſaw the man conſumed, and by that coniectured the whole ſtory."
- 10 To seize or take (a person) by legal process; to arrest. transitive
"Officers apprehended the suspect two streets away from the bank."
- 11 To feel (something) emotionally. obsolete, transitive
"[H]ow it worketh in the mindes and soules of them that haue no power to apprehend such felicitie, it is not for me to intimate, because it is preiudiciall to our monarchie."
- 12 To learn (something). obsolete, transitive
"Undowghtedly in a prince or noble man may be nothinge more excellent, ye nothing more necessarye, than to aduance men after the estimation of their goodnes; and that for two speciall commodities that do come thereof. Fyrste, that thereby they prouoke many men to apprehende vertue."
- 13 To take possession of (something); to seize. also, figuratively, obsolete, transitive
"Not as though I had already attained, either were already perfect: but I follow after, if that I may apprehend that for which alſo I am apprehended of Chriſt Jeſus."
- 14 To be of opinion, believe, or think; to suppose. intransitive, transitive
"Sir, if you haue a minde to mocke him, mocke him ſoftly, and looke to'ther way: for if hee apprehend you flout him, once, he will flie at you preſently. A terrible teſtie old fellow, and his name is Waſpe too."
- 15 To understand. intransitive, transitive
"Coſin you apprehend paſſing ſhrewdly."
- 16 To be apprehensive; to fear. intransitive, transitive
"Death never happens but once, yet we feel it every moment of our lives. It is worse to apprehend than to suffer."
Example
"The police expect to apprehend the robber before nightfall."
Common questions
What is a synonym for "apprehend"?
Common synonyms include: arrest, comprehend, grasp, nab, absorb, accept.
How do you use "apprehend" in a sentence?
The police expect to apprehend the robber before nightfall.
How do you pronounce "apprehend"?
Pronounced /ˌæpɹɪˈhɛnd/.
Etymology
From Late Middle English apprehenden (“to grasp, take hold of; to comprehend; to learn”), from Old French apprehender (modern French appréhender (“to apprehend; to catch; to dread”)), from Latin apprehendere, adprehendere, the present active infinitive of apprehendō, adprehendō (“to grab, grasp, seize, take; to apprehend, arrest; to comprehend, understand; to embrace, include; to take possession of, obtain, secure”), from ap-, ad- (prefix meaning ‘to’) + prehendō (“to grab, grasp, seize, snatch, take; to accost; to catch in the act, take by surprise; (figuratively, rare) of the mind: to apprehend, comprehend, grasp”) (ultimately from Proto-Indo-European *gʰed- (“to hold, seize, take; to find”)).