detain
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de·tain
(dĭ-tān′)tr.v. de·tained, de·tain·ing, de·tains
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).
[Middle English deteinen, from Old French detenir, from Vulgar Latin *dētenīre, from Latin dētinēre : dē-, de- + tenēre, to hold; see ten- in Indo-European roots.]
de·tain′ment n.
American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fifth Edition. Copyright © 2016 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.
detain
(dɪˈteɪn)vb (tr)
1. to delay; hold back; stop
2. (Law) to confine or hold in custody; restrain
3. archaic to retain or withhold
[C15: from Old French detenir, from Latin dētinēre to hold off, keep back, from de- + tenēre to hold]
deˈtainable adj
detainee n
deˈtainment n
Collins English Dictionary – Complete and Unabridged, 12th Edition 2014 © HarperCollins Publishers 1991, 1994, 1998, 2000, 2003, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2011, 2014
de•tain
(dɪˈteɪn)v.t.
1. to keep from proceeding; delay.
2. to keep under restraint.
3. Obs. to withhold.
[1480–90; < Old French detenir « Latin dētinēe=dē- de- + -tinēre, from tenēre to hold]
de•tain′a•ble, adj.
de•tain′ment, n.
Random House Kernerman Webster's College Dictionary, © 2010 K Dictionaries Ltd. Copyright 2005, 1997, 1991 by Random House, Inc. All rights reserved.
detain
Past participle: detained
Gerund: detaining
| Imperative |
|---|
| detain |
| detain |
Collins English Verb Tables © HarperCollins Publishers 2011
ThesaurusAntonymsRelated WordsSynonymsLegend:
Switch to new thesaurus
| Verb | 1. | detain - deprive of freedom; take into confinement keep - hold and prevent from leaving; "The student was kept after school" straiten - squeeze together gaol, immure, imprison, incarcerate, jail, jug, put behind bars, remand, lag, put away - lock up or confine, in or as in a jail; "The suspects were imprisoned without trial"; "the murderer was incarcerated for the rest of his life" intern - deprive of freedom; "During WW II, Japanese were interned in camps in the West" bind over - order a defendant to be placed in custody pending the outcome of a proceedings against him or her; "The defendant was bound over for trial" imprison - confine as if in a prison; "His daughters are virtually imprisoned in their own house; he does not let them go out without a chaperone" trap, pin down - place in a confining or embarrassing position; "He was trapped in a difficult situation" keep in - cause to stay indoors |
| 2. | detain - stop or halt; "Please stay the bloodshed!" | |
| 3. | detain - cause to be slowed down or delayed; "Traffic was delayed by the bad weather"; "she delayed the work that she didn't want to perform" stonewall - engage in delaying tactics or refuse to cooperate; "The President stonewalled when he realized the plot was being uncovered by a journalist" catch - delay or hold up; prevent from proceeding on schedule or as planned; "I was caught in traffic and missed the meeting" stall - deliberately delay an event or action; "she doesn't want to write the report, so she is stalling" buy time - act so as to delay an event or action in order to gain an advantage |
Based on WordNet 3.0, Farlex clipart collection. © 2003-2012 Princeton University, Farlex Inc.
detain
verb
1. hold, arrest, confine, restrain, imprison, intern, take prisoner, take into custody, hold in custody He was arrested and detained for questioning.
Collins Thesaurus of the English Language – Complete and Unabridged 2nd Edition. 2002 © HarperCollins Publishers 1995, 2002
detain
verb1. To cause to be later or slower than expected or desired:
2. To keep in custody:
hold.
The American Heritage® Roget's Thesaurus. Copyright © 2013, 2014 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.
Translations
يُؤَخِّريَحْجِز، يَحْتَجِز
zadržetzdržet
forsinkeopholdetilbageholde
őrizetbe vesz
taka til fanga; setja í varîhaldtefja
sulaikytasis
aizkavētaizturētarestēt
alıkoymakgeciktirmekgözaltına almak
detain
[dɪˈteɪn] VTCollins Spanish Dictionary - Complete and Unabridged 8th Edition 2005 © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1971, 1988 © HarperCollins Publishers 1992, 1993, 1996, 1997, 2000, 2003, 2005
Collins English/French Electronic Resource. © HarperCollins Publishers 2005
detain
vt (= keep back) → aufhalten; (police) → in Haft nehmen; to be detained (= be arrested) → verhaftet werden; (= be in detention) → sich in Haft or in polizeilichem Gewahrsam befinden; to detain somebody for questioning → jdn zur Vernehmung festhalten
Collins German Dictionary – Complete and Unabridged 7th Edition 2005. © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1980 © HarperCollins Publishers 1991, 1997, 1999, 2004, 2005, 2007
Collins Italian Dictionary 1st Edition © HarperCollins Publishers 1995
detain
(diˈtein) verb1. to hold back and delay. I won't detain you – I can see you're in a hurry.
2. (of the police etc) to keep under guard. Three suspects were detained at the police station.
ˌdetaiˈnee noun a person who is detained (by the police etc).
Kernerman English Multilingual Dictionary © 2006-2013 K Dictionaries Ltd.
detain
v. detener, parar.
English-Spanish Medical Dictionary © Farlex 2012