Meaning & use
Apprehending
Last updated
Arresting or seizing someone, typically a suspected criminal; or, understanding or grasping an idea.
See it in a sentence
Officers spent hours apprehending the suspect after a lengthy chase.
She had difficulty apprehending the full implications of the contract's fine print.
A note on using this word
Apprehending covers two distinct senses in English: physically capturing someone, and mentally understanding something, both from Latin 'apprehendere,' to seize.
Words with a similar meaning
arrestinggrasping
Choose a synonym to suit the sentence. Meanings can overlap without being identical.
Words with an opposite meaning
releasing
Another way to use it
2. verb
Anxiously anticipating something with fear or unease.
She was apprehending the worst as she opened the envelope.
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