arrive
1 Americanverb (used without object)
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to come to a certain point in the course of travel; reach one's destination.
He finally arrived in Rome.
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to come to be near or present in time.
The moment to act has arrived.
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to attain a position of success, power, achievement, fame, or the like.
After years of hard work, she has finally arrived in her field.
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Archaic. to happen.
It arrived that the master had already departed.
verb (used with object)
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Obsolete. to reach; come to.
verb phrase
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arrive at
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to come to a place after traveling; reach.
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to attain the objective in a course or process.
to arrive at a conclusion.
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noun
plural
arrivés-
a person who has swiftly gained wealth, status, success, or fame.
verb
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to come to a certain place during or after a journey; reach a destination
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(foll by at) to agree upon; reach
to arrive at a decision
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to occur eventually
the moment arrived when pretence was useless
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informal (of a baby) to be born
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informal to attain success or gain recognition
Other Word Forms
- arriver noun
- unarrived adjective
- unarriving adjective
Etymology
Origin of arrive1
First recorded in 1175–1225; Middle English a(r)riven, from Old French a(r)river, from Vulgar Latin arrīpāre (unrecorded) “to come to land,” verb derivative of Latin ad rīpam “to the riverbank”; river 1
Origin of arrivé2
First recorded in 1920–25; from French: literally, “arrived,” noun use of past participle of arriver “to arrive”; arrive
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
He then waited for his rescuers to arrive.
From BBC • Apr. 5, 2026
Vescovi, a 23-year veteran of the department, had been one of the first officers to arrive at Camp Swamp Road.
From The Wall Street Journal • Apr. 5, 2026
And now, royalty checks arrive for the usage of her songs in films like “The Drama.”
From Los Angeles Times • Apr. 3, 2026
The persistence of this faith despite repeated evidence reminds me of the famous 1950s study of cult members who kept expecting UFOs to arrive.
From MarketWatch • Apr. 3, 2026
Their urgent need was for more men, yet months would pass before American troops would arrive in Europe in numbers great enough to make a difference.
From "The War to End All Wars: World War I" by Russell Freedman
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.