detain

detain — verb

1. To keep a person in custody by official authority, not allowing them to leave fr

1.verbtransitiveB2
Definition

To keep a person in custody by official authority, not allowing them to leave freely — typically because the person is suspected of a crime or needs to answer investigators' questions.

Example

Police detained Ziad for two hours after finding his car near the bank.

detain + for [time period]

Immigration officials detained Liang at the airport when his visa expired.

detained at [place] by [authority]

Common collocations
  • detained for questioning
  • detained without charge
  • detained by police
  • detained at the airport
Synonyms
  • hold

    more general and less formal; can refer to any situation where someone is kept somewhere

  • take into custody

    more formal and specific to police procedure; implies the person is under arrest

  • confine

    suggests restriction to a small space for a longer period

Antonyms
  • release

    to let someone go after detention

  • free

    to set someone at liberty

Grammar Patterns

detain + person

be detained + for + reason/time

be detained + at + place

Usage Note

Often used in the passive voice (be detained). The subject is a person under suspicion, not a convicted criminal. Distinguish from Sense 3, where the detention is ordered by a court rather than by police or officials.

Common Mistakes

The police arrested him for three hours before letting him go.
The police detained him for three hours before letting him go.
'Arrest' means formally charging someone with a crime; 'detain' is temporary holding, often for questioning without charges.

2. When something detains you, it causes you to arrive somewhere later than you pla

2.verbtransitiveB2
Definition

When something detains you, it causes you to arrive somewhere later than you planned or to spend more time in a place than you expected, usually for a short period.

Example

A long phone call detained Jack at the office and made him late for dinner.

detained by [something] at [place]

Eve was detained by an urgent meeting that ran past six o'clock.

Common collocations
  • detained by a meeting
  • detained at work
  • sorry to detain you
  • won't detain you long
Synonyms
  • delay

    more common and less formal; can be used transitively or intransitively

  • hold up

    informal; suggests an unexpected interruption

  • keep

    general; often used in 'keep someone waiting'

Antonyms

Grammar Patterns

detain + person

be detained + by + thing/event

let me detain you (polite request)

Usage Note

Common in polite expressions such as 'I won't detain you any longer' or 'I don't want to detain you.' The cause of the delay can be a person, an event, or a thing. Unlike Sense 1, there is no suggestion of official authority or suspicion.

Common Mistakes

The phone call detained for thirty minutes.
The phone call detained me for thirty minutes.
'Detain' always needs a direct object (someone is detained). You cannot use it intransitively.

3. When a court or judge detains someone, it orders the person to be kept in prison

3.verbtransitiveC1
Definition

When a court or judge detains someone, it orders the person to be kept in prison for a period of time decided by the legal system rather than for a fixed sentence — often while waiting for a trial or because the person is considered dangerous.

Example

The judge ordered that the prisoner be detained until the start of the trial.

detained until [event] (court order)

Anthony was detained in prison while the court prepared his case.

Common collocations
  • detained in prison
  • detained by court order
  • detained without trial
  • detained until the hearing
Synonyms
  • imprison

    suggests a fixed sentence for a crime rather than pre-trial or indeterminate detention

  • incarcerate

    very formal and technical; used in legal and official contexts

  • lock up

    informal; can refer to any situation where someone is put in a locked space

Antonyms
  • release

    to let someone out of prison

  • discharge

    formal; to officially release someone from legal custody

Grammar Patterns

detain + person

be detained + in + prison/institution

be detained + until + event

court orders that + person + be detained

Usage Note

Used in formal legal contexts. This sense differs from Sense 1 in that the detention is ordered by a court or judge — not by police or officials acting independently. The period is typically longer than in Sense 1, and the person is usually kept in a prison rather than a police station.

Common Mistakes

The police detained the suspect for six months before the trial.
The court ordered that the suspect be detained for six months before the trial.
For long-term pre-trial detention, a court order is needed; police custody is short-term.

Word family

Synonym discussion

Sense: verb/1

Detain, arrest, hold, and confine all involve keeping someone somewhere against their will, but they differ in seriousness and legal meaning. Detain is usually temporary and for questioning — the person may not be charged with a crime. Arrest is more serious: the person is formally accused of a crime and taken into custody, with legal rights read to them. Hold is the most general word, used in everyday situations where someone is kept waiting or kept somewhere. Confine suggests restriction to a small space for a longer time, such as a prison cell or hospital room. For example: 'The police detained the witness for two hours of questioning' (temporary, not charged). 'They arrested the thief and read him his rights' (formal criminal charge). 'The nurse held the child still for the injection' (general). 'After surgery, he was confined to his hospital bed for a week' (longer, restricted space).

detain ↗arrest ↗hold ↗confine ↗

Common collocations

Nouns

Adverbs

Phrases

  • in custody
  • under guard
  • by court order
  • for questioning
  • without charge

Prepositions

Etymology

LatinFrenchEnglish

Detain entered English in the 1400s from French 'detenir', which came from the Latin word 'detinere' — a combination of 'de-' (away from) and 'tenere' (to hold). So the original meaning was 'to hold away' or 'to keep back'. The legal sense of holding someone in official custody developed later.