Definition

1. Intransitive Verb:
   • To reach a destination: To come to a place, especially at the end of a journey.
   • To achieve success or recognition: To attain a position of success, prominence, or acceptance, often after effort.
   • To happen or occur: (Of a time or event) To come.

Usage

• The verb "arrive" is typically followed by a preposition when specifying a location (e.g., a building, station, or event; a city, country, or large area). No preposition is used with adverbs like , , , or when the destination is implied.
• It indicates the completion of movement towards a point. The focus is on the moment of reaching the destination.
• In its figurative sense, it describes achieving a significant goal or status.

Examples

• Reaching a destination:
  • The train will arrive at platform 9 in five minutes.
  • We arrived in Paris yesterday afternoon.
  • What time did you arrive home last night?
• Achieving success:
  • After years of hard work, she felt she had finally arrived as a respected artist.
  • With that award-winning novel, he has truly arrived in the literary world.

Advanced Usage

• "arrive at":
  • To reach a decision, conclusion, or understanding through thought or discussion.

    • After hours of debate, the committee arrived at a compromise.
• "to have arrived":
  • An idiom meaning to have achieved notable success or social acceptance.

    • Wearing that designer label, he thinks he has finally arrived.

Variants and Related Words

• Arrival (n): The act of arriving; a person or thing that has arrived.
  • We await the arrival of the guests.
  • The new manager is a recent arrival to the company.
• Arriver (n): One who arrives. (Less common)

Synonyms

• Reach: To arrive at; to get to a place.
• Get to: To arrive at a place. (More informal)
• Attain: To achieve or reach a goal, especially with effort. (For the figurative sense)

Phrasal Verbs

• Arrive at: As detailed in 'Advanced Usage', this is the primary phrasal construction, used for reaching non-physical destinations like decisions, agreements, or ages.
  • It took them weeks to arrive at a solution.

Related Idioms

• Arrive in style: To arrive in a way that attracts attention, typically because it is luxurious or impressive.
  • The celebrity arrived in style, stepping out of a limousine.
• Arrive on the scene: To appear or become involved in a situation.
  • A new competitor has arrived on the scene, changing the market dynamics.

Verb

1. succeed in a big way; get to the top
   • After he published his book, he had arrived
   • I don't know whether I can make it in science!
   • You will go far, my boy!
2. reach a destination; arrive by movement or progress
   • She arrived home at 7 o'clock
   • She didn't get to Chicago until after midnight