Meaning & use
arrested
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“arrested” is a form of “arrest”. See that entry for the full set of meanings.
Meanings
verbtransitive
Past tense and past participle of 'arrest': taken by the police because of a suspected crime.
Grammar: Used as the past tense or past participle of 'arrest'. It takes an object in active sentences: 'The police arrested him.'
Patterns
- be arrested for something
- be arrested on suspicion of something
The police arrested the man outside the bank.
She was arrested for driving without a license.
Three people have been arrested in connection with the theft.
adjectivebefore a nounformal
Stopped or not developing further, especially in a way that is not normal.
Grammar: Used before a noun to describe something that has stopped growing or progressing: 'arrested development'.
Patterns
- arrested development
- arrested growth
The child showed signs of arrested development.
The disease can lead to arrested growth in young animals.
adjectivebefore a noun
Having been taken into police custody.
Grammar: Used before a noun: 'the arrested man'. More often, people say 'the man who was arrested'.
Patterns
- the arrested person
- the arrested suspect
The arrested suspect was questioned for hours.
The arrested men appeared in court this morning.
Word forms
| base form | arrest |
|---|---|
| third person singular | arrests |
| present participle | arresting |
| past tense | arrested |
| past participle | arrested |
Common combinations
- be arrested for
- He was arrested for robbery.
- be arrested on suspicion of
- She was arrested on suspicion of fraud.
- get arrested
- If you do that, you'll get arrested.
- arrested development
- The study looked at arrested development in children.
Synonyms and how they differ
- detained
- Means kept by the police but not necessarily charged; 'arrested' is a more formal step in the legal process.
- apprehended
- A formal word for 'arrested', often used in police reports.
- taken into custody
- A phrase meaning the same as 'arrested', but it sounds more official.
Opposites
Word family
Commonly confused: arrested or arresting?
arrested vs arresting
As an adjective, 'arresting' means 'striking or eye-catching', not 'having been arrested'. For example, 'an arresting smile' means a very noticeable smile.
Practice
Choose the correct sentence.
Choose one answer.
The verb 'arrest' takes a direct object without a preposition: 'arrested him'. 'For stealing' is the correct prepositional phrase. The other options use wrong word order or the wrong verb form.
Make it your own
Write a sentence using “arrested”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.