apprehend

• POS: Verb (transitive)
• HYPHEN: ap=pre=hend

CIDE DICTIONARY

apprehend, v. t. [L. apprehendere; ad + prehendere to lay hold of, seize; prae before + -hendere (used only in comp.); akin to Gr. chanda`nein to hold, contain, and E. get: cf. F. appréhender. See Prehensile, Get.].

•  To take or seize; to take hold of.  [1913 Webster]

  "We have two hands to apprehend it."  [1913 Webster]
•  Hence: To take or seize (a person) by legal process; to arrest; as, to apprehend a criminal.  [1913 Webster]
•  To take hold of with the understanding, that is, to conceive in the mind; to become cognizant of; to understand; to recognize; to consider.  [1913 Webster]

  "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."  [1913 Webster]

  "The eternal laws, such as the heroic age apprehended them."  [1913 Webster]
•  To know or learn with certainty.  [1913 Webster]

  "G. You are too much distrustful of my truth.
  E. Then you must give me leave to apprehend
  The means and manner how."  [1913 Webster]
•  To anticipate; esp., to anticipate with anxiety, dread, or fear; to fear.  [1913 Webster]

  "The opposition had more reason than the king to apprehend violence."  [1913 Webster]

Syn. -- To catch; seize; arrest; detain; capture; conceive; understand; imagine; believe; fear; dread.

apprehend, v. i. 

•  To think, believe, or be of opinion; to understand; to suppose.  [1913 Webster]
•  To be apprehensive; to fear.  [1913 Webster]

  "It is worse to apprehend than to suffer."  [1913 Webster]

OXFORD DICTIONARY

apprehend, v.tr.
1 understand, perceive (apprehend your meaning).
2 seize, arrest (apprehended the criminal).
3 anticipate with uneasiness or fear (apprehending the results).

Etymology

F appr{eacute}hender or L apprehendere (as AD-, prehendere prehens- lay hold of)

THESAURUS

apprehend

absorb, accept, anticipate, appreciate, arrest, assimilate, be acquainted with, be afraid, be apprised of, be aware of, be cognizant of, be conscious of, be conversant with, be informed, be sensible of, be with one, bode, bust, capture, catch, catch on, cognize, collar, compass, comprehend, conceive, conceptualize, cotton to, croak, detain, dig, digest, discern, divine, dread, experience, eye askance, fathom, fear, feel, follow, forebode, foreknow, forewarn, get, get hold of, get the drift, get the idea, get the picture, grab, grasp, have, have a premonition, have a presentiment, have information about, have it taped, have knowledge of, have qualms, hear, ken, know, learn, look black, lower, make an arrest, make out, master, menace, misgive, nab, net, penetrate, perceive, pick up, pinch, portend, possess, preapprehend, prehend, prevision, pull in, put under arrest, read, realize, recognize, respond, respond to stimuli, run in, savvy, see, seize, seize the meaning, sense, sit upon thorns, smell, stand aghast, take, take captive, take in, take into custody, take prisoner, taste, threaten, touch, tumble to, twig, understand, visualize, warn, wot, wot of

ROGET THESAURUS

apprehend

Lawsuit

VB go to law, appeal to the law, bring to justice, bring to trial, bring to the bar, put on trial, pull up, accuse, prefer a claim, file a claim, take the law of, inform against, serve with a writ, cite, apprehend, arraign, sue, prosecute, bring an action against, indict, impeach, attach, distrain, commit, arrest, summon, summons, give in charge, empanel a jury, implead, join issue, close the pleadings, set down for hearing, try, hear a cause, sit in judgment, adjudicate.

Fear

VB fear, stand in awe of, be afraid, have qualms, apprehend, sit upon thorns, eye askance, distrust, hesitate, falter, funk, cower, crouch, skulk, let 'I dare not' wait upon 'I would' take fright, take alarm, start, wince, flinch, shy, shrink, fly, tremble, shake, shiver, shiver in one's shoes, shudder, flutter, shake like an aspen leaf, tremble like an aspen leaf, tremble all over, quake, quaver, quiver, quail, grow pale, turn pale, blench, stand aghast, not dare to say one's soul is one's own, inspire fear, excite fear, inspire awe, excite awe, raise apprehensions, be in a daze, bulldoze, faze, feeze, give an alarm, raise an alarm, sound an alarm, alarm, startle, scare, cry 'wolf', disquiet, dismay, fright, frighten, terrify, astound, fright from one's propriety, fright out of one's senses, fright out of one's wits, fright out of one's seven senses, awe, strike all of a heap, strike an awe into, strike terror, harrow up the soul, appall, unman, petrify, horrify, pile on the agony, make one's flesh creep, make one's hair stand on end, make one's blood run cold, make one's teeth chatter, take away one's breath, stop one's breath, make one tremble, haunt, prey on the mind, weigh on the mind, put in fear, put in bodily fear, terrorize, intimidate, cow, daunt, overawe, abash, deter, discourage, browbeat, bully, threaten.

Belief

VB believe, credit, give faith to, give credit to, credence to, see, realize, assume, receive, set down for, take for, have it, take it, consider, esteem, presume, count upon, depend upon, calculate upon, pin one's faith upon, reckon upon, lean upon, build upon, rely upon, rest upon, lay one's account for, make sure of, make oneself easy about, on that score, take on trust, take on credit, take for granted, take for gospel, allow some weight to, attach some weight to, know, know for certain, have know, make no doubt, doubt not, be, rest assured, persuade oneself, assure oneself, satisfy oneself, make up one's mind, give one credit for, confide in, believe in, put one's trust in, place in, repose in, implicit confidence in, take one's word for, at one's word, place reliance on, rely upon, swear by, regard to, think, hold, take, take it, opine, be of opinion, conceive, trow, ween, fancy, apprehend, have it, hold a belief, possess, entertain a belief, adopt a belief, imbibe a belief, embrace a belief, get hold of a belief, hazard, foster, nurture a belief, cherish a belief, have an opinion, hold an opinion, possess, entertain an opinion, adopt an opinion, imbibe an opinion, embrace an opinion, get hold of an opinion, hazard an opinion, foster an opinion, nurture an opinion, cherish an opinion, view as, consider as, take as, hold as, conceive as, regard as, esteem as, deem as, look upon as, account as, set down as, surmise, get it into one's head, take it into one's head, come round to an opinion, swallow, cause to be believed, satisfy, persuade, have the ear of, gain the confidence of, assure, convince, convict, convert, wean, bring round, bring over, win over, indoctrinate, cram down the throat, produce conviction, carry conviction, bring home to, drive home to, go down, find credence, pass current, be received, be current, possess, take hold of, take possession of the mind.

Knowledge

VB know, ken, scan, wot, wot aware, be aware of, ween, weet, trow, have, possess, conceive, apprehend, comprehend, take, realize, understand, savvy, appreciate, fathom, make out, recognize, discern, perceive, see, get a sight-of, experience, know full well, have some knowledge of, possess some knowledge of, be au courant, have in one's head, have at one' fingers ends, know by heart, know by rote, be master of, connaitre le dessous des cartes, know what's what, see one's way, discover, come to one's knowledge.