apprehend
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ap·pre·hend
(ăp′rĭ-hĕnd′)v. ap·pre·hend·ed, ap·pre·hend·ing, ap·pre·hends
v.tr.
1. To take into custody; arrest: apprehended the murderer.
2. To grasp mentally; understand: "Science is the systematic method by which we apprehend what is true about the real world in which we live" (Richard Dawkins). See Synonyms at understand.
3. To become conscious of, as through the emotions or senses; perceive: "She began to look with her own eyes; to see and to apprehend the deeper undercurrents of life" (Kate Chopin).
4. Archaic To anticipate with worry or dread.
v.intr.
To understand something.
[Middle English apprehenden, from Old French apprehender, from Latin apprehendere, to seize : ad-, ad- + prehendere, to grasp; see ghend- in Indo-European roots.]
ap′pre·hend′er n.
American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fifth Edition. Copyright © 2016 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.
apprehend
(ˌæprɪˈhɛnd)vb
1. (Law) (tr) to arrest and escort into custody; seize
2. to perceive or grasp mentally; understand
3. (tr) to await with fear or anxiety; dread
[C14: from Latin apprehendere to lay hold of]
Collins English Dictionary – Complete and Unabridged, 12th Edition 2014 © HarperCollins Publishers 1991, 1994, 1998, 2000, 2003, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2011, 2014
ap•pre•hend
(ˌæp rɪˈhɛnd)v.t.
1. to take into custody; arrest by legal warrant or authority: The police apprehended the burglars.
2. to grasp the meaning of; understand, esp. intuitively; perceive.
3. to expect with anxiety, suspicion, or fear; anticipate: apprehending violence.
v.i. 4. to understand: To apprehend was to forgive.
5. to be apprehensive, suspicious, or fearful; fear.
[1350–1400; < Latin apprehendere to grasp = ap-1 + prehendere to seize]
ap`pre•hend′er, n.
Random House Kernerman Webster's College Dictionary, © 2010 K Dictionaries Ltd. Copyright 2005, 1997, 1991 by Random House, Inc. All rights reserved.
apprehend
Past participle: apprehended
Gerund: apprehending
Imperative |
---|
apprehend |
apprehend |
Collins English Verb Tables © HarperCollins Publishers 2011
ThesaurusAntonymsRelated WordsSynonymsLegend:
Switch to new thesaurus
Verb | 1. | ![]() understand - know and comprehend the nature or meaning of; "She did not understand her husband"; "I understand what she means" figure - understand; "He didn't figure her" catch on, cotton on, get it, get onto, get wise, twig, latch on, tumble - understand, usually after some initial difficulty; "She didn't know what her classmates were plotting but finally caught on" intuit - know or grasp by intuition or feeling digest - arrange and integrate in the mind; "I cannot digest all this information" |
2. | ![]() | |
3. | ![]() |
Based on WordNet 3.0, Farlex clipart collection. © 2003-2012 Princeton University, Farlex Inc.
apprehend
verb
1. arrest, catch, lift (slang), nick (slang, chiefly Brit.), capture, seize, run in (slang), take, nail (informal), bust (informal), collar (informal), pinch (informal), nab (informal), take prisoner, feel your collar (slang) Police have not apprehended her killer.
arrest free, release, discharge, liberate, let go
arrest free, release, discharge, liberate, let go
2. understand, know, think, believe, imagine, realize, recognize, appreciate, perceive, grasp, conceive, comprehend, get the message, get the picture Only now can I begin to apprehend the power of these forces.
understand miss, misunderstand, be unaware of, be unconscious of, be at cross-purposes, misapprehend, misconceive, get your lines crossed
understand miss, misunderstand, be unaware of, be unconscious of, be at cross-purposes, misapprehend, misconceive, get your lines crossed
Collins Thesaurus of the English Language – Complete and Unabridged 2nd Edition. 2002 © HarperCollins Publishers 1995, 2002
apprehend
verb1. To take into custody as a prisoner:
2. To perceive directly with the intellect:
Scots: ken.
3. To perceive and recognize the meaning of:
accept, catch (on), compass, comprehend, conceive, fathom, follow, get, grasp, make out, read, see, sense, take, take in, understand.
Informal: savvy.
Slang: dig.
Chiefly British: twig.
Scots: ken.
Idioms: get a handle on, get the picture.
4. To be intuitively aware of:
Idioms: feel in one's bones, get vibrations.
The American Heritage® Roget's Thesaurus. Copyright © 2013, 2014 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.
Translations
يَعْتَقِل، يُلْقي القَبْض عَلىيَفْهَم
chápatporozumětzatknout
anholdearrestereforståpågribe
skiljataka til fanga
areštuotibūgštavimasnerimaujantissu nerimusulaikyti
aizturētapjēgtarestētsaprast
Collins Spanish Dictionary - Complete and Unabridged 8th Edition 2005 © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1971, 1988 © HarperCollins Publishers 1992, 1993, 1996, 1997, 2000, 2003, 2005
apprehend
[ˌæprɪˈhɛnd] vt [+ suspect, criminal, offender, murderer, culprit] → appréhender, arrêter
(= understand) [+ fact, power] → comprendre, saisir
(= fear) → appréhender
Collins English/French Electronic Resource. © HarperCollins Publishers 2005
apprehend
Collins German Dictionary – Complete and Unabridged 7th Edition 2005. © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1980 © HarperCollins Publishers 1991, 1997, 1999, 2004, 2005, 2007
Collins Italian Dictionary 1st Edition © HarperCollins Publishers 1995
apprehend
(apriˈhend) verb1. to arrest. The police apprehended the thief.
2. to understand.
ˌappreˈhension (-ʃən) noun1. fear.
2. understanding.
ˌappreˈhensive (-siv) adjective anxious; worried. an apprehensive expression.
ˌappreˈhensively adverbˌappreˈhensiveness noun
Kernerman English Multilingual Dictionary © 2006-2013 K Dictionaries Ltd.