apprehension
noun
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Latin Helps Build Apprehension
The Latin verb prehendere really grabs our attention. It means "to grasp" or "to seize," and it is an ancestor of various English words. It teamed up with the prefix ad- (which takes the form ap- before p and means "to," "toward," or "near") to form apprehendere, the Latin predecessor of our words apprehension, apprehend, and apprehensive. When prehendere joined the prefix com- ("with," "together," "jointly"), Latin got comprehendere, and English eventually got comprehend, comprehension, and comprehensive. Prehendere also gave us the words comprise, prehensile ("adapted for seizing or grasping"), prison, reprehend, and reprise, among others.
Synonyms
Examples of apprehension in a Sentence
Anna Mulrine Grobe, The Christian Science Monitor, 2 Apr. 2024
Given regulators’ scrutiny, lawsuit filings, airline executives’ open dissatisfaction, public apprehension, and calls for culture change, how might a female CEO impact the future of Boeing?
—Corinne Post, Forbes, 29 Mar. 2024
That’s about 64% more than the number of migrant apprehensions in the Del Rio Border Patrol Sector, which includes Eagle Pass, Texas – the epicenter of the ongoing battle over border security between Texas and the Biden administration.
—Rosa Flores, CNN, 29 Mar. 2024
This mix of guilt, horror, and apprehension is exactly the self-destructive bent of masochistic progressives.
—Armond White, National Review, 20 Mar. 2024
Indeed, homicides in America surged in 2020 — a year in which Trump was still president and apprehensions at the southern border were way down.
—Paul Krugman, The Mercury News, 13 Mar. 2024
Wisconsin has a new set of Legislative maps, and many politicians have spoken out about them; expressing excitement, questions and apprehension.
—Laura Schulte, Journal Sentinel, 1 Mar. 2024
That’s why attractions based on fear and apprehension work so powerfully.
—Robert Niles, Orange County Register, 25 Feb. 2024
Over the past three years, Owens' agency has reported record levels of migrant apprehensions along the southern border, including more than 2 million in each of the past fiscal years.
—Camilo Montoya-Galvez, CBS News, 21 Mar. 2024
These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'apprehension.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.
Dictionary Entries Near apprehension
Cite this Entry
“Apprehension.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/apprehension. Accessed 18 Apr. 2024.
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