detain
verb
de·tain
| \ di-ˈtān
, dē-\
, dē-\
detained;
detaining;
detains
Definition of detain
1
: to hold or keep in or as if in custody
detained by the police for questioning
3
: to restrain especially from proceeding
was detained by a flat tire
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Other Words from detain
detainment
\ di-ˈtān-mənt
, dē- \
noun
, dē- \
noun
Examples of detain in a Sentence
They were detained by the police for questioning.
He claimed he had been illegally detained.
Unexpected business had detained her.
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Recent Examples on the Web
And Mio, who plays Chester, recalled a scene where his character tries to take the place of his father, who is detained for questioning. — Nina Li Coomes, The Atlantic, "The Uneven Historical Horror of The Terror: Infamy," 2 Sep. 2019 More than 60 prisoners were reported to be involved, including 24 Ukrainian sailors who were detained when their ships were seized in 2018 in the Kerch Strait between Crimea and the Russian mainland. — Will Englund, BostonGlobe.com, "Ukrainians and Russians working on a major prisoner exchange," 30 Aug. 2019 More than 20 protesters circled the Etowah County Detention Center in Gadsden this morning, chanting for the release of an immigrant rights activist and his son who have been detained by Immigration and Customs Enforcement since Thursday morning. — William Thornton | Wthornton@al.com, al, "Protesters call for release of detained Alabama immigrant rights group board member," 23 Aug. 2019 That same year, China abolished its internal custody and repatriation system after intensive news coverage of a migrant worker in Guangzhou who was detained for not carrying his I.D. and subsequently beaten to death in custody. — Han Zhang, The New Yorker, "The “Post-Truth” Publication Where Chinese Students in America Get Their News," 19 Aug. 2019 Three crew members who had been detained were also released. — Megan Specia, New York Times, "Seized Iranian Tanker Leaves Gibraltar Despite U.S. Pressure," 18 Aug. 2019 On Wednesday, a hangar at a Mississippi Air National Guard base in Flowood, adjoining the Jackson airport, was set up to process those who were detained. — Rogelio V. Solis, Jeff Amy, Anchorage Daily News, "Largest US immigration raids in a decade net 680 arrests," 8 Aug. 2019 Francisco Erwin Galicia was detained at a Border Patrol checkpoint on June 27 and was released July 23, his mother said. — Lucy Diavolo, Teen Vogue, "18-Year-Old Francisco Galicia Is the Latest U.S. Citizen to Be Detained in Immigration Enforcement Custody," 24 July 2019 The government said just 35 people were detained, according to the Times. — Char Adams, PEOPLE.com, "Neighbors Form Human Chain to Block ICE from Detaining Father and Son: They Were 'Bullying' Them," 23 July 2019These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'detain.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
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More Definitions for detain
detain
verb
English Language Learners Definition of detain
: to officially prevent (someone) from leaving a place : to hold or keep (someone) in a prison or some other place
formal
: to keep or prevent (someone) from leaving or arriving at the expected time
See the full definition for detain in the English Language Learners Dictionary
detain
verb
de·tain
| \ di-ˈtān
\
\
detained;
detaining
Kids Definition of detain
1
: to hold or keep in or as if in prison
The suspect was detained by police.
2
: to stop from going on : delay
Snow detained our flight.
detain
transitive verb
de·tain
Legal Definition of detain
1
: to hold or keep in custody or possession
property wrongfully detained a juvenile detained in a care facility
2
: to restrain from proceeding
detained the driver and asked to see his license
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