arrive

1 of 2

verb

ar·​rive ə-ˈrīv How to pronounce arrive (audio)
arrived; arriving
Synonyms of arrivenext

intransitive verb

1
a
: to reach a destination
The train arrived late.
b
: to make an appearance : to come upon the scene
The crowd became silent when the officers arrived.
2
: to be near in time : come
The moment has arrived.
3
informal : to achieve success
After years of climbing the corporate ladder, he felt he had finally arrived.
4
archaic : happen
arriver noun

arrivé

2 of 2

noun

ar·​ri·​vé ˌa-ri-ˈvā How to pronounce arrivé (audio)
: one who has risen rapidly to success, power, or fame
Phrases
arrive at
: to reach by effort or thought
arrived at a decision

Synonyms

Verb

See All Synonyms & Antonyms in Thesaurus

Examples of arrive in a Sentence

Verb He arrived home at six o'clock. We had some dinner before arriving at the station. When do you expect them to arrive in Boston?
Recent Examples on the Web
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.
Verb
The film arrives on Amazon Prime Video on Thursday. — Julia Teti, Footwear News, 7 Apr. 2025 The performance was shot back in February at NPR headquarters in Washington, D.C., and Bad Bunny arrived with his backing band LoS SOBRiNOS, led by musical director and percussionist Julito Gastón. — Juan J. Arroyo, Rolling Stone, 7 Apr. 2025
Noun
In This Article Types Of Grass And Their Planting Seasons Challenges Of Spring Planting Alternatives And Additional Tips Frequently Asked Questions As the first signs of spring arrive, homeowners are eager to get the garden and lawn in shape. — Kim Toscano, Southern Living, 14 Mar. 2025 The Royals said fans should have their parking pass on the MLB Ballpark App on their mobile device when the arrive at the Truman Sports Complex. — Pete Grathoff, Kansas City Star, 24 Mar. 2025 See All Example Sentences for arrive

Word History

Etymology

Verb

Middle English ariven, arriven "to reach the end of a journey by sea, disembark, reach a destination," borrowed from Anglo-French ariver, arriver "to bring (a person, a ship) to shore, to reach a destination by ship, disembark" (also continental Old French), going back to Vulgar Latin *arrīpāre, parasynthetic derivative from Latin ad rīpam "up to the shore, at the shore" from ad "to, at" + rīpam, accusative of rīpa "bank, shore"; (sense 3) borrowed from French arriver (attested in this sense since the 18th century) — more at at entry 1, river

Noun

borrowed from French, past participle of arriver "to reach a destination, achieve success," going back to Old French ariver "to reach a destination by ship" — more at arrive entry 1

First Known Use

Verb

15th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1a

Noun

1866, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of arrive was in the 15th century

Rhymes for arrive

See All Rhymes for arrive

Browse Nearby Words

arrivance
arrive
arrivé
See all Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Arrive.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/arrive. Accessed 12 Apr. 2025.

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Kids Definition

arrive

verb
ar·​rive ə-ˈrīv How to pronounce arrive (audio)
arrived; arriving
1
: to reach the place one started out for
arrive home at six o'clock
2
: come sense 4
the time arrived to begin
3
informal : to be successful

More from Merriam-Webster on arrive

Nglish: Translation of arrive for Spanish Speakers

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