detain


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Related to detain: detainee

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
Present
I detain
you detain
he/she/it detains
we detain
you detain
they detain
Preterite
I detained
you detained
he/she/it detained
we detained
you detained
they detained
Present Continuous
I am detaining
you are detaining
he/she/it is detaining
we are detaining
you are detaining
they are detaining
Present Perfect
I have detained
you have detained
he/she/it has detained
we have detained
you have detained
they have detained
Past Continuous
I was detaining
you were detaining
he/she/it was detaining
we were detaining
you were detaining
they were detaining
Past Perfect
I had detained
you had detained
he/she/it had detained
we had detained
you had detained
they had detained
Future
I will detain
you will detain
he/she/it will detain
we will detain
you will detain
they will detain
Future Perfect
I will have detained
you will have detained
he/she/it will have detained
we will have detained
you will have detained
they will have detained
Future Continuous
I will be detaining
you will be detaining
he/she/it will be detaining
we will be detaining
you will be detaining
they will be detaining
Present Perfect Continuous
I have been detaining
you have been detaining
he/she/it has been detaining
we have been detaining
you have been detaining
they have been detaining
Future Perfect Continuous
I will have been detaining
you will have been detaining
he/she/it will have been detaining
we will have been detaining
you will have been detaining
they will have been detaining
Past Perfect Continuous
I had been detaining
you had been detaining
he/she/it had been detaining
we had been detaining
you had been detaining
they had been detaining
Conditional
I would detain
you would detain
he/she/it would detain
we would detain
you would detain
they would detain
Past Conditional
I would have detained
you would have detained
he/she/it would have detained
we would have detained
you would have detained
they would have detained
Collins English Verb Tables © HarperCollins Publishers 2011
ThesaurusAntonymsRelated WordsSynonymsLegend:
Verb1.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"
cage, cage in - confine in a cage; "The animal was caged"
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!"
delay, check - slow the growth or development of; "The brain damage will retard the child's language development"
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"
decelerate, slow, slow down, slow up - lose velocity; move more slowly; "The car decelerated"
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.
2. delay, keep, stop, hold up, hamper, hinder, retard, impede, keep back, slow up or down We won't detain you any further.
Collins Thesaurus of the English Language – Complete and Unabridged 2nd Edition. 2002 © HarperCollins Publishers 1995, 2002

detain

verb
1. To cause to be later or slower than expected or desired:
2. To keep in custody:
3. To put in jail:
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] VT
1. (= arrest) → detener, arrestar
2. (= keep waiting) → retener
I was detained at the officeme entretuve or demoré en la oficina
I was detained by fogme retrasé por la niebla
don't let me detain youno quiero entretenerla
Collins Spanish Dictionary - Complete and Unabridged 8th Edition 2005 © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1971, 1988 © HarperCollins Publishers 1992, 1993, 1996, 1997, 2000, 2003, 2005

detain

[dɪˈteɪn] vt
(= delay) → retenir
[+ suspect] (in captivity)détenir
(in hospital)hospitaliser
to be detained overnight → être gardé(e) pour la nuit
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 questioningjdn 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

detain

[dɪˈteɪn] vt (delay) → trattenere; (in custody) → detenere
Collins Italian Dictionary 1st Edition © HarperCollins Publishers 1995

detain

(diˈtein) verb
1. 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
References in classic literature ?
"Well, well, my dear Edmond," continued the owner, "don't let me detain you.
Creeping from the house, and slinking off like a thief; groping with his hands, when first he got into the street, as if he were a blind man; and looking often over his shoulder while he hurried away, as though he were followed in imagination or reality by someone anxious to question or detain him; Ralph Nickleby left the city behind him, and took the road to his own home.
I wish we could bring dear Frederica too, but I am sorry to say that her mother's errand hither was to fetch her away; and, miserable as it made the poor girl, it was impossible to detain her.
No sooner has he gone than Creon enters with an armed guard who seize Antigone and carry her off (Ismene, the other sister, they have already captured) and he is about to lay hands on Oedipus, when Theseus, who has heard the tumult, hurries up and, upbraiding Creon for his lawless act, threatens to detain him till he has shown where the captives are and restored them.
If you refuse this mission which has been offered to you, I shall detain you here until I have the means of sending you under escort to France."
"Take that to your master, and say I won't detain him five minutes." With these words, her Ladyship sauntered into the grounds.
Black George having received the purse, set forward towards the alehouse; but in the way a thought occurred to him, whether he should not detain this money likewise.
If by any chance things have gone wrong they will not have made any arrangements to detain you.
"When shall I see you?" asked Arobin, seeking to detain her, the maid having left the room.
A CERTAIN MAN, detained by a storm in his country house, first of all killed his sheep, and then his goats, for the maintenance of his household.
Here the viceroy and his company were received with so much ceremony, as was rather troublesome than pleasing to us who were fatigued with the labours of the passage; and having stayed here some time, that the gentlemen who attended the viceroy to Goa might fit out their vessels, we set sail, and after having been detained some time at sea, by calms and contrary winds, and somewhat harassed by the English and Dutch, who were now increased to eleven ships of war, arrived at Goa, on Saturday, the 16th of December, and the viceroy made his entry with great magnificence.
Day after day and week after week elapsed, yet the store-house requisite for the reception of the cargo was not completed, and the ship was detained in port; while the captain was teased by frequent requisitions for various articles for the use of the establishment, or the trade with the natives.