apprehend

English

Etymology

(deprecated template usage) Borrowed from Old French apprehender (compare modern French appréhender), from Latin apprehendere. Compare Spanish aprehender.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /æ.pɹiˈhɛnd/
• Rhymes: -ɛnd

• Audio (UK):

  (file)

Verb

apprehend (third-person singular simple present apprehends, present participle apprehending, simple past and past participle apprehended)

1. (transitive, archaic) To take or seize; to take hold of.
   • (Can we date this quote by Jeremy Taylor and provide title, author’s full name, and other details?)

     We have two hands to apprehend it.

   1. (transitive, law enforcement) To take or seize (a person) by legal process; to arrest.

      Officers apprehended the suspect two streets away from the bank.

2. (transitive) To take hold of with the understanding, that is, to conceive in the mind; to become cognizant of; to understand; to recognize; to consider.
   • (Can we date this quote by Thomas Fuller and provide title, author’s full name, and other details?)

     This suspicion of Earl Reimund, though at first but a buzz, soon got a sting in the king's head, and he violently apprehended it.

   • (Can we date this quote by William Gladstone and provide title, author’s full name, and other details?)

     The eternal laws, such as the heroic age apprehended them.

   • 1922, Carl Becker, The Declaration of Independence, page 221:

     Jefferson apprehended the injustice of slavery; but one is inclined to ask how deeply he felt it.

3. (transitive) To anticipate; especially, to anticipate with anxiety, dread, or fear; to fear.
   • (Can we date this quote by Thomas Babington Macaulay and provide title, author’s full name, and other details?)

     The opposition had more reason than the king to apprehend violence.

4. (intransitive) To think, believe, or be of opinion; to understand; to suppose.
5. (intransitive) To be apprehensive; to fear.
   • (Can we date this quote by Rowe and provide title, author’s full name, and other details?)

     It is worse to apprehend than to suffer.

Usage notes

To apprehend, comprehend. These words come into comparison as describing acts of the mind. Apprehend denotes the laying hold of a thing mentally, so as to understand it clearly, at least in part. Comprehend denotes the embracing or understanding it in all its compass and extent. We may apprehend many truths which we do not comprehend. The very idea of God supposes that He may be apprehended, though not comprehended, by rational beings. We may apprehend much of Shakespeare's aim and intention in the character of Hamlet or King Lear; but few will claim that they have comprehended all that is embraced in these characters. --Trench.
(material dates from 1913)

Synonyms

• catch, seize, arrest, detain, capture, conceive, understand, imagine, believe, fear, dread

Derived terms

• apprehension
• misapprehend

Translations

to take or seize; to take hold of

• Bulgarian: хващам (bg) (hvaštam), задържам (bg) (zadǎržam)
• Chinese:

  Mandarin: 捕捉 (zh) (bǔzhuō)

• Czech: chytit (cs) pf, uchopit pf
• French: appréhender (fr)
• German: fangen (de)
• Greek: καταλαμβάνω (el) (katalamváno)
• (deprecated template usage) {{trans-mid}}
• Interlingue:
• Korean: 붙잡다 (ko) (butjapda)
• Portuguese: apreender (pt)
• Quechua: chapay
• Slovene: prijeti
• Spanish: aprehender (es), coger (es), prender (es), capturar (es)
• Swedish: gripa (sv)

to arrest; to apprehend a criminal

• Bulgarian: арестувам (bg) (arestuvam)
• Chinese:

  Mandarin: 逮捕 (zh)

• Czech: zadržet pf, zajmout pf, zatknout (cs) pf, dopadnout (cs) pf, chytit (cs)
• French: appréhender (fr)
• German: festnehmen (de)
• Greek: συλλαμβάνω (el) (syllamváno)
• Hungarian: letartóztat (hu)
• (deprecated template usage) {{trans-mid}}
• Korean: 체포하다 (ko) (chepohada)
• Persian: دستگیر کردن (fa) (dast-gir kardan)
• Portuguese: apreender (pt), deter (pt), prender (pt), capturar (pt)
• Russian: арестова́ть (ru) (arestovátʹ), задержа́ть (ru) (zaderžátʹ)
• Slovene: aretirati
• Spanish: detener (es), aprehender (es)
• Swedish: gripa (sv)

to understand; to recognize

• Bulgarian: схващам (bg) (shvaštam), долавям (bg) (dolavjam)
• Catalan: aprehendre (ca)
• Chinese:

  Mandarin: 理解 (zh) (lǐjiě), 了解 (zh) (liǎojiě), 明白 (zh)

• Czech: pochopit (cs) pf, chápat (cs) impf, porozumět pf
• Dutch: begrijpen (nl), vatten (nl), snappen (nl)
• Finnish: pidättää (2), tajuta (3), ymmärtää (3)
• French: appréhender (fr)
• (deprecated template usage) {{trans-mid}}
• German: begreifen (de)
• Greek: αντιλαμβάνομαι (el) (antilamvánomai)
• Hungarian: felfog (hu)
• Korean: 이해하다 (ko) (ihaehada), 깨닫다 (ko) (kkaedatda)
• Portuguese: entender (pt)
• Slovene: pojmiti
• Spanish: aprehender (es), entender (es), comprender (es), captar (es), percibir (es)
• Swedish: greppa (sv), förstå (sv)

(transitive) to anticipate with anxiety, dread, or fear

• Bulgarian: опасявам се (opasjavam se)
• Chinese:

  Mandarin: 担心 (zh) (dānxīn), 忧虑 (zh) (yōulǜ)

• Czech: obávat se (cs) impf
• French: appréhender (fr)
• Greek: φοβάμαι (el) (fovámai)
• (deprecated template usage) {{trans-mid}}
• Interlingue:
• Korean: 염려하다 (ko) (yeomnyeohada), 두려워하다 (ko) (duryeowohada)
• Portuguese: temer (pt)
• Slovene: bati se (sl)
• Spanish: temer (es)

(intransitive) to be apprehensive or fearful

• French: appréhender (fr)
• (deprecated template usage) {{trans-mid}}
• Korean: 걱정하다 (ko) (geokjeonghada), 우려하다 (uryeohada)

to think, believe, or understand

• Catalan: aprehendre (ca)
• Czech: rozumět (cs) pf, věřit (cs)
• (deprecated template usage) {{trans-mid}}
• French: appréhender (fr) (understand)
• Greek: καταλαβαίνω (el) (katalavaíno)