citizen's arrest

noun

: an arrest made not by a law officer but by a citizen who derives authority from the fact of being a citizen

Examples of citizen's arrest in a Sentence

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.

The woman, who was checked out by medical personnel, made a citizen's arrest, which led officers to book Killer Mike on suspicion of battery, multiple law enforcement sources had said. —

Andrew Blankstein, NBC News, 1 July 2024 According to the defense, the three men were attempting a citizen's arrest when Travis, initially with his father and then joined by Bryan, chased Arbery and corralled him with their respective pickups before the scuffle in which Travis shot Arbery three times. —

Kate Hogan, Peoplemag, 21 Apr. 2023 The incident occurred around 2 a.m. and the suspect was placed under citizen's arrest by a staff member near the home's service entrance, the spokesperson said. —

Caitlin O'Kane, CBS News, 17 May 2023 Defense attorneys say the McMichaels, suspecting Arbery of burglary, tried to conduct a citizen's arrest. —

CNN, 22 Nov. 2021 See all Example Sentences for citizen's arrest

Word History

First Known Use

1940, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler

The first known use of citizen's arrest was in 1940

See more words from the same year

Cite this Entry

Style

“Citizen's arrest.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/citizen%27s%20arrest. Accessed 23 Nov. 2024.

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