festnehmen

arrest

verb FEST-nay-men Less Common

Origin: from fest ('firm') and nehmen ('to take')

Usage Note

festnehmen is the standard verb for a police arrest and is separable: the prefix splits off in main clauses, as in Die Polizei nimmt ihn fest. The related noun is Festnahme. Distinguish it from verhaften, a near-synonym.

Examples

"Die Polizei nahm den Dieb fest."

Natural Translation

The police arrested the thief.

Literal Translation

The police took the thief fast.

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