Definition of: apprehend

(ap′ri·hend′) v.t.
1. To lay hold of or grasp mentally; grasp a truth or statement; perceive.
2. To expect with anxious foreboding; look forward with fear or anxiety.
3. To arrest; seize in the name of the law.
4. Obs. To take hold of. [ <L apprehendere <ad- to + prehendere seize]
—ap′pre·hend′er noun Synonyms: anticipate, arrest, catch, comprehend, conceive, grasp, imagine, know, perceive, understand. In strictness we perceive only what is presented through the senses. We apprehend what is presented to the mind by any means whatever. A child can apprehend the distinction between right and wrong, yet the philosopher cannot comprehend it in its fulness. Compare ALARM, IDEA. Antonyms: ignore, lose, misapprehend, miss, misunderstand, overlook.