apprehensions

noun

plural of apprehension
1
as in arrests
the act of taking into one's control by authority of law apprehension of the burglar set the neighborhood at ease

Synonyms & Similar Words

Relevance

Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in understandings
the knowledge gained from the process of coming to know or understand something a good apprehension of how computer systems work

Synonyms & Similar Words

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

Example Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of apprehensions But the plaintiffs said that the Big Bend Sector ranks last for apprehensions compared to the other six sectors along the southern border. — Melissa Quinn, CBS News, 21 Oct. 2026 Talarico’s success so far can partly be chalked up to voters’ apprehensions toward Paxton, who faced questions in his past over corruption, including being impeached by his own party in the Texas legislature. — ABC News, 15 Oct. 2026 Read on to find out more about how DLSS works (and some early apprehensions about its latest release). — Aman Kumar, Encyclopedia Britannica, 30 Sep. 2026 But the security that these systems provide have raised apprehensions about personal privacy and about where such footage gets stored and distributed. — David Friend, Vanity Fair, 10 Sep. 2026 Some apprehensions that occurred during the recent arrest surge came from ICE activity at airports. — Seth Klamann, Denver Post, 31 Aug. 2026 Knight’s son, Shanga Hankerson, has shared his apprehensions about his mother’s busy life on tour. — Mckinley Franklin, HollywoodReporter, 28 Aug. 2026 The total surge averages out to 1,599 apprehensions a day, and tops June's record-breaking number of 43,021 arrests by 15%. — Vanessa Romo, NPR, 26 Aug. 2026 Newsom’s apprehensions mirrored some of those held by the CSU and UC systems, both of which have opposed the bills. — Tarini Mehta, Sacbee.com, 21 Aug. 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for apprehensions
  1. arrests
  2. understandings
  3. perceptions
  4. appreciations
Noun
  • Revell said that no arrests had yet been made, nor anyone taken into custody, but that police believed one shooter was involved.
    — Samantha Cookinham, NBC news, 25 Oct. 2026
  • From mass arrests in France to troop deployments in Italy, European leaders are taking varied approaches to protests and clashes across the continent.
    — Amanda Macias, FOXNews.com, 25 Oct. 2026
Definition of arrests
Noun
  • Advertisement Beneath their cultural differences, AI safety and cybersecurity have competing understandings of what AI is.
    — Harry Booth, Time, 20 Oct. 2026
  • China and the United States would be well advised to seek similar understandings to limit the AI arms race.
    — NIALL FERGUSON, Foreign Affairs, 20 Oct. 2026
Definition of understandings
Noun
  • The data comes from the UNC Charlotte Urban Institute’s inaugural regional well-being survey, which asked adults across 14 counties about their finances, housing, communities and perceptions of their own lives.
    — Charlotte Observer, Charlotte Observer, 24 Oct. 2026
  • The school has worked hard to knock down the bogeyman perceptions.
    — Dana O’Neil, CNN Money, 24 Oct. 2026
Definition of perceptions
Noun
  • As some national lands face uncertainty, five Post Opinions writers share appreciations of their favorites.
    — Washington Post Opinions, Washington Post, 9 Sep. 2026
  • Played on the show by Sarah Pidgeon, audiences on TikTok have gone into a frenzy with appreciations and tutorials showing how to style Besette staples like a white shirt, pencil skirt, and headband.
    — Valentina Bottoni, Vanity Fair, 13 Mar. 2026
Definition of appreciations

Browse Nearby Words

apprehension
apprehensions
apprehensive
See all Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Apprehensions.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/apprehensions. Accessed 28 Oct. 2026.

Copy Citation
Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences

More from Merriam-Webster

Word of the Day

Listen to the pronunciation of grotesque

See Definitions and Examples »

Popular in Grammar & Usage

See More

How to Use 'Who' vs. 'Whom'

Merriam-Webster’s Great Big List of Words You Love to Hate

'Affect' vs. 'Effect'

'A' or 'an'? What about before 'h'? An Indefinite Article Guide

Why is '-ed' sometimes pronounced at the end of a word?
See More

Popular in Wordplay

See More

The Longest Long Words List

9 Words That Sound Like Insults But Aren't

12 Lovely and Unusual Words for the Natural World

Why do we 'bury the lede?'

'Za' and 9 Other Words to Help You Win at SCRABBLE
See More

Popular

See More

How to Use 'Who' vs. 'Whom'

The Longest Long Words List

9 Words That Sound Like Insults But Aren't
See More

Games & Quizzes

See All
Play Quordle: Guess all four words in a limited number of tries. Each of your guesses must be a real 5-letter word.
Quordle Can you solve 4 words at once?
Play Blossom: Solve today's spelling word game by finding as many words as you can using just 7 letters. Longer words score more points.
Blossom Pick the best words!
Play Missing Letter: a crossword with a twist. Each of the 25 puzzle words start with a different letter of the alphabet. Which letter is missing?
The Missing Letter A daily crossword with a twist
different halloween monsters in silhouette
A Monstrous Vocab Quiz Words That Go Bump in the Night
See All