arrive
- 01 A1 Beginner
to reach a place at the end of a journey.
to reach a destination at the conclusion of a journey or movement.
Simple“The train should arrive at the platform in ten minutes.”
In context“Despite the heavy snowfall and several mechanical delays, the delegation finally arrived at the embassy just before the gala commenced.”
- 02 B2 Upper Intermediate
to finally achieve success or become famous.
to achieve a position of success, fame, or social status.
Simple“After years of hard work, she felt she had finally arrived in the fashion world.”
In context“With his latest exhibition receiving critical acclaim in Paris, the young sculptor felt he had truly arrived on the international art scene.”
- 03 B1 Intermediate
to happen or start, especially when talking about a time or an event.
to occur or come into existence; used of time, seasons, or anticipated events.
Simple“Spring has finally arrived after a very long and cold winter.”
In context“The moment of truth had arrived, and the researchers prepared to reveal the results of their decade-long study to the public.”
- 04 C2 Proficiency
to reach the peak of sexual pleasure.
to achieve a sexual orgasm.
Simple“The scene in the adult movie showed the couple arriving at the same time.”
In context“The author used the euphemism 'arriving' to describe the character's climax in the erotic novel.”
Teacher's tipThis sense is highly informal and potentially offensive; learners should be aware of it to avoid accidental misuse in polite company.
Intransitive verb; requires the preposition 'at' for specific locations or 'in' for cities and countries.
arrive vs reach — Arrive focuses on the moment of appearance at a destination and requires a preposition, while reach focuses on the effort or distance covered and takes a direct object.
Learners often use 'to' because of the movement involved, but 'arrive' requires 'in' for cities/countries or 'at' for specific buildings.
Usage arrived home · arrives at a time · arrive years
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”).
Etymology adapted from Wiktionary, available under CC BY-SA 4.0.