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- DictionaryDe·tain/dəˈtān/
verb
- 1. keep (someone) from proceeding; hold back: "she made to open the door, but he detained her"
The meaning of DETAIN is to hold or keep in or as if in custody. How to use detain in a sentence. Synonym Discussion of Detain.
verb (used with object) to keep from proceeding; keep waiting; delay. Synonyms: check, stay, stop, hinder, slow, retard. to keep under restraint or in custody. Obsolete. to keep back or withhold, as from a person. detain. / ˌdiːteɪˈniː; dɪˈteɪn /.
When you detain someone, you hold them back, slow them down, or stop them from moving on. If you are detained by the police, you may be late for the big football game, even if you were speeding to get there by the kickoff.
DETAIN definition: 1. to force someone officially to stay in a place: 2. to delay someone for a short length of time…. Learn more.
1. To keep from proceeding; delay or retard: Our friends were detained by heavy traffic. 2. To keep in custody or confinement: The police detained several suspects for questioning. 3. Archaic To retain or withhold (payment or property, for example).
to force someone officially to stay in a place: A suspect is being detained by the police for further questioning. To detain someone is also to delay that person for a short period of time: We were detained in traffic and arrived at the theater a little late.
When people such as the police detain someone, they keep them in a place under their control. The act allows police to detain a suspect for up to 48 hours. [VERB noun] He was arrested and detained for questioning. [VERB noun] To detain someone means to delay them, for example by talking to them.
detain somebody (formal) to delay somebody or prevent them from going somewhere. I'm sorry—he'll be late; he's been detained at a meeting. The minister was unavoidably detained in Lisbon on affairs of state. Definition of detain verb in Oxford Advanced Learner's Dictionary.
verb. detained, detains. To keep from proceeding; delay or retard. Our friends were detained by heavy traffic. American Heritage. To keep in custody; confine. Webster's New World. Similar definitions. To keep from going on; hold back.
detain. verb. /dɪˈteɪn/. Verb Forms. detain somebody to keep someone in an official place, such as a police station, a prison, or a hospital, and prevent them from leaving One man has been detained for questioning.
