1 A2 neutral
To reach a physical destination.
"We arrived at the airport just in time for our flight."
inseparable
arrive at
A2 neutral inseparable transitive
To reach a place or, figuratively, to come to a conclusion or decision after thought or discussion.
In plain English
Get to a place, or finally decide something after thinking about it.
What does "arrive at" mean?
2 meanings, ordered from most common to least. Color-coded by CEFR level.
2 B1 idiomatic neutral
To reach a conclusion, decision, or agreement after a process of thinking or discussion.
"After hours of negotiation, the two companies finally arrived at a deal."
“
We must never stop searching until we have arrived at an answer.
— Winston Churchill, address to Harvard University, 6 September 1943
inseparable
Usage tip
One of the most common phrasal verbs in English. The literal (physical) sense is A2 level; the figurative sense (arrive at a conclusion/decision/agreement) is B1–B2. Note: use 'arrive at' for specific destinations (a building, an agreement) and 'arrive in' for cities/countries.
Words that pair with "arrive at"
Natural word combinations native speakers use most often.
conclusion decision agreement settlement solution airport
How to conjugate "arrive at"
The five tense forms you'll use most often.
Base
arrive at
I/you/we/they
3rd person
arrives at
he/she/it
Past simple
arrived at
yesterday
Past participle
arrived at
have + pp
-ing form
arriving at
continuous
Hear "arrive at" in the wild
Listen to native speakers using "arrive at" in real YouTube videos — click a clip to watch it on Looplines.
Keep exploring
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