arrest
High (B1/B2)Neutral to Formal; technical in medical/law contexts.
Definition
Meaning
The action of seizing (someone) by legal authority and taking them into custody.
To stop or check the progress, development, or motion of something. In medicine, a condition where a function stops (e.g., cardiac arrest).
Linguistics
Semantic Notes
As a verb, primarily transitive. The noun form 'arrest' can be countable (an arrest, several arrests) or uncountable (under arrest). The verb sense 'to stop' is often used with abstract nouns like development, decline, growth.
Dialectal Variation
British vs American Usage
Differences
No major syntactic or semantic differences. 'Arrested for' is standard in both. Minor differences in collocational frequency with certain crimes.
Connotations
Equally strong legal/formal connotations in both varieties.
Frequency
Similar high frequency in legal/news contexts. The 'stop' sense is slightly more literary/formal and equally used.
Vocabulary
Collocations
Grammar
Valency Patterns
arrest somebody (for something)arrest something (formal/literary)get/be arrestedhave somebody arrestedVocabulary
Synonyms
Strong
Neutral
Weak
Vocabulary
Antonyms
Phrases
Idioms & Phrases
- “Under arrest”
- “A cardiac arrest”
- “Arrest someone's attention”
Usage
Context Usage
Business
Rare. Might be used metaphorically: 'The new policy arrested the company's decline in sales.'
Academic
Used in law, criminology, medicine (e.g., 'cell cycle arrest,' 'developmental arrest').
Everyday
Primarily in the context of police action: 'He was arrested for speeding.'
Technical
Legal: specific procedures of detention. Medical: cessation of function (respiratory arrest).
Examples
By Part of Speech
verb
British English
- The officers will arrest the suspect at his flat.
- The treatment aims to arrest the disease's progression.
- You're under arrest, mate.
American English
- The police arrested the suspect at his apartment.
- This drug can arrest the spread of the infection.
- You have the right to remain silent. You are under arrest.
adverb
British English
- He looked at her arrestingly, making her pause.
American English
- The data was arrestingly clear, showing a sharp drop.
adjective
British English
- The arresting officer read him his rights.
- She has an arresting presence on stage.
American English
- The arresting officer Mirandized him.
- The mural was visually arresting.
Examples
By CEFR Level
- The police arrested the thief.
- He is under arrest.
- They arrested him for stealing a car.
- The doctor said it was a sudden cardiac arrest.
- New measures were introduced to arrest the spread of the virus.
- She was placed under house arrest for her political activities.
- The dramatic photograph arrested the attention of the entire gallery.
- The peace process has been arrested by the recent hostilities.
Learning
Memory Aids
Mnemonic
Think of a RESTraining order - to ARREST someone is to legally RESTrain them.
Conceptual Metaphor
STOPPING IS CAPTURING (e.g., 'arresting decay'); LAW IS FORCE (authority seizing a person).
Watch out
Common Pitfalls
Translation Traps (for Russian speakers)
- Do not confuse with 'арестовать' (correct for legal sense) and 'остановить' (for the 'stop' sense). Using 'arrest' for a simple stop (e.g., arresting a machine) sounds odd. The noun 'арест' matches the legal noun 'arrest' well.
Common Mistakes
- Using 'arrest' without an object incorrectly (e.g., 'The police arrested.' needs 'someone'). Confusing 'arrested' with 'charged' or 'convicted'. Using the 'stop' sense in casual conversation where 'stop' or 'prevent' is better.
Practice
Quiz
In which sentence is 'arrest' used in a NON-legal sense?
FAQ
Frequently Asked Questions
An 'arrest' is a formal act of taking someone into custody, usually with the intention of charging them with a crime. 'Detain' can be broader, meaning to keep someone from leaving, which can be a brief police stop (temporary detention) or part of an arrest.
Not literally. You cannot 'arrest' a car or a book in the legal sense. Only in the metaphorical 'stop' sense can it be used with abstractions or processes: 'arrest decay', 'arrest development'.
Yes, it's a fixed legal collocation meaning confinement to one's home instead of prison, often as a condition of bail or parole.
It's a medical term for the sudden, complete stopping of the heart's effective pumping action. It is different from a heart attack, which is a blockage in blood flow to the heart.
Collections
Part of a collection
Crime and Justice
B1 · 46 words · Vocabulary for law, crime and the justice system.