arrest and nail share a recorded sense, so the question is not what they mean but which one fits. arrest means “take into custody”. nail means “attach something somewhere by means of nails”. arrest is the more common of the two in everyday English.
/ɚˈɛst/
1.v.take into custody
“the police nabbed the suspected criminals”
2.v.hold back, as of a danger or an enemy; check the expansion or influence of
“Arrest the downward trend”
3.v.attract and fix
“His look caught her”
/ˈneɪl/
1.v.attach something somewhere by means of nails
“nail the board onto the wall”
2.v.take into custody
“the police nabbed the suspected criminals”
3.v.hit hard
“He smashed a 3-run homer”
| arrest | nail | |
|---|---|---|
| Pronunciation | /ɚˈɛst/ | /ˈneɪl/ |
| Said | ur-EST | nayl |
| Syllables | 2 | 1 |
| Letters | 6 | 4 |
| Parts of speech | verb, noun | verb, noun |
| Senses | 6 | 10 |
| How common | Core | Common |
| Synonyms | collar, nail, apprehend | none recorded |
Full entry for arrest · Full entry for nail · More comparisons