Dictionary / arrive
arrive
- verb
- from Old French
To reach; to get to a certain place.
1 All current definitions
Every sense of “arrive” in current use, as recorded by Wiktionary. Older and obsolete senses are kept separately.
verb
- copulativeintransitiveTo reach; to get to a certain place.
We've just arrived at the hotel to book in, so we should arrive at Mike’s in time for lunch.
- intransitiveTo obtain a level of success or fame; to succeed.
He had finally arrived on Broadway.
- intransitiveTo come; said of time.
The time has arrived for us to depart.
- intransitiveTo happen or occur.
Happy! to whom this glorious death arrives.1666, Edmund Waller, Instructions to a Painter:
- IrelandUKintransitiveoftenslangvulgarTo achieve orgasm; to cum; to ejaculate.
Older & obsolete senses (2)
- archaictransitiveTo reach; to come to.
- intransitiveobsoleteTo bring to shore.
Cross-check: WordNet senses (2)
- verbreach a destination; arrive by movement or progress — also: get, come
- verbsucceed in a big way; get to the top — also: make it, get in, go far
Antonyms: depart
2 History of the word
The etymology, the path the word travelled, and the words built from it.
The word’s journey, newest to oldest:
- English (today)arrive
- Middle Englisharriven
- Old Frenchariver
- EarlyMedieval
- Latinrīpa “shore, river-bank”
From Middle English arriven, ariven, from Old French ariver, from Early Medieval Latin adrīpāre (“to land, come ashore”), derived from Latin rīpa (“shore, river-bank”). Displaced native oncome, tocome.
For the semantic evolution, compare Old English ġelandian, ġelendan, lendan (“to arrive at land; land”) > Middle English alenden, landen (“to arrive; arrive at shore; land”).
Derivatives — words built from “arrive”
Phrases & compounds
Related terms
Want to go deeper? See also “arrive” on Etymonline ↗
3 Original language
Where “arrive” came from before it was English.
4 Original meaning
What the word meant at the oldest point the record reaches.
Historical meaning — Webster’s 1913
A historical record, labelled as such: some of these senses are dated or have since shifted.
arrive v. i. [OE. ariven to arrive, land, OF. ariver, F. arriver, fr. LL. arripare, adripare, to come to shore; L. ad + ripa the shore or sloping bank of a river. Cf. Riparian.]
- To come to the shore or bank. In present usage: To come in progress by water, or by traveling on land; to reach by water or by land; -- followed by at (formerly sometimes by to), also by in and from.
- To reach a point by progressive motion; to gain or compass an object by effort, practice, study, inquiry, reasoning, or experiment.
- To come; said of time; as, the time arrived.
- To happen or occur.
arrive v. t.
- To bring to shore.
- To reach; to come to.
arrive n.
- Arrival.
5 Use it with confidence
Model sentences from the sources, matched to the meaning they show. Read each one aloud, then make your own in the game.
verbMeaning: To reach; to get to a certain place.
We've just arrived at the hotel to book in, so we should arrive at Mike’s in time for lunch.
He arrived home for two days.
verbMeaning: To obtain a level of success or fame; to succeed.
He had finally arrived on Broadway.
Evidence that the Irish had arrived socially was the abrupt decline in the number of newspaper articles accusing them of brawling and other crimes.2002, Donald Cole, Immigrant City: Lawrence, Massachusetts, 1845-1921, page 58:
verbMeaning: To come; said of time.
The time has arrived for us to depart.
verbMeaning: To happen or occur.
Happy! to whom this glorious death arrives.1666, Edmund Waller, Instructions to a Painter:
verbMeaning: reach a destination; arrive by movement or progress
She arrived home at 7 o'clock
verbMeaning: succeed in a big way; get to the top
After he published his book, he had arrived
Three steps to owning it
- Pick one meaning above and read its model sentence out loud.
- Say who or what the word is about in your own life, then build a sentence around that.
- Check it against the definition: would a careful reader understand exactly that meaning?
6 The mastery game
Play it here, or print it and do it with pen and paper. At the end you will know the meanings, history, origin and original meaning — and you will have used the word yourself.
Say it, then spell it
arrive
/əˈɹaɪv/
Say the word out loud three times, slowly. Notice the stressed syllable. When you are ready, hide it and spell it from memory.
Activate Words · Word-mastery worksheet · Name: ______________________ Date: __________
arrive
/əˈɹaɪv/ · verb
Step 1 — Say it and write it
Say “arrive” out loud three times. Then cover the word and write it three times from memory.
Step 2 — Know every meaning
Read each definition. Then write it again in your own words.
Step 3 — Which meaning is it?
“We've just arrived at the hotel to book in, so we should arrive at Mike’s in time for lunch.”
Circle the meaning used.
“He had finally arrived on Broadway.”
Circle the meaning used.
“The time has arrived for us to depart.”
Circle the meaning used.
Step 4 — History and origin
Write the word’s journey back in time (each language and form):
Write three words built from “arrive” and what each means:
Step 5 — Original meaning
The earliest traceable form is Latin rīpa. What did it mean?
How does that original meaning connect to the meanings today?
Step 6 — Use it yourself
☐ I can explain its meanings ☐ I know its history ☐ I know its original language ☐ I know its original meaning ☐ I can use it confidently
Answer key — arrive
Which meaning, sentence 1: C. To reach; to get to a certain place.
Which meaning, sentence 2: A. To obtain a level of success or fame; to succeed.
Which meaning, sentence 3: B. To come; said of time.
Origin: B. Old French (Old French ariver)
Journey: English arrive ← Middle English arriven ← Old French ariver ← Early Medieval ← Latin rīpa
Some derivatives: arrivage, arrivance, arrivant, rearrive, unarrived, unarriving
Original meaning: Latin rīpa — “shore, river-bank”
Etymology: From Middle English arriven, ariven, from Old French ariver, from Early Medieval Latin adrīpāre (“to land, come ashore”), derived from Latin rīpa (“shore, river-bank”). Displaced native oncome, tocome.
Sources: Wiktionary “arrive” (https://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/arrive#English), CC BY-SA 4.0, via kaikki.org; Princeton WordNet 3.0; Webster’s Revised Unabridged Dictionary (1913, public domain) via GCIDE. Worksheet from https://activatewords.com/w/arrive