detain

verb

di-TAYN/dɪˈteɪn/

Formsdetains, detaining, detained

4 meanings of detain

1
verbtransitive
To hold someone in custody and not let them leave.
Like a teacher keeping a student in the room and not letting them go.
The police can detain anyone they think has broken the law.
Officers detained the suspect for several hours at the station.
Similarhold, arrest, imprison, confine, jail
Oppositerelease, free, liberate, discharge
Note
2
verbtransitive
To stop someone from leaving or moving on, often by taking up their time.
Like someone grabbing your sleeve so you can't walk away.
Sorry to detain you, but I have one quick question.
The long meeting detained her well past lunch.
Similarkeep
Oppositerelease, free
3
verbtransitive
To keep something back and not give it to the person it belongs to.
Like keeping a friend's toy and not giving it back.
His employer wrongly detained part of his wages.
They had no right to detain the money he was owed.
Similarwithhold, retain, keep, hold
Oppositerelease, surrender
Note
4
verbtransitive
To take and hold goods because of an official rule or law.
Like a guard keeping a package until someone checks what's inside.
Customs can detain goods that arrive without the right papers.
Officials detained the shipment at the border for inspection.
Similarseize, impound, hold, confiscate, embargo
Oppositerelease, clear

Practice

Can you tell the meanings of detain apart? Answer 4 quick questions from this page, or write your own sentence and AI will check it.

Origin

It comes from the Old French word 'detenir'.