apprehend
/ˌæprɪˈhend/ IELTSAcademic
verb
- 1.
To understand something, especially an idea or meaning. It is more formal than “understand” and often appears in writing.
- I cannot fully apprehend the theory yet.
- She quickly apprehended the main point.
- Do you apprehend the difference?
- 2.
To catch or arrest someone. This is formal and often used in police or legal contexts.
- The suspect was apprehended at the airport.
- Police apprehended him after midnight.
- They apprehended the thief outside the shop.
Adinary Nuance
Use apprehend when you want a formal word for understanding or for arresting someone. For meaning, it is stronger and more literary than understand, grasp, or comprehend. In everyday speech, most people usually say understand or catch instead.
In other languages
- Vietnamese
- hiểu
- Spanish
- comprender
- Chinese
- 理解
- Japanese
- 理解する
- Korean
- 이해하다
Etymology
Apprehend comes from Latin apprehendere, meaning “to seize” or “grasp.” It entered English through Old French in the late Middle Ages.
Common phrases
apprehend the meaningapprehend a suspectapprehended by police
Synonyms
Related words
Frequently asked questions
- Is apprehend formal or informal?
- It is formal. People usually use it in writing, reports, or legal contexts.
- Can apprehend mean understand?
- Yes. It can mean understand, but this use is less common in everyday speech.
- Is apprehend the same as arrest?
- Often, yes. In police language, apprehend means catch or arrest someone.
- What is a simple alternative to apprehend?
- Use understand for the meaning sense, and arrest or catch for the police sense.