verb
detain
dih-TAYN
verb
1
To officially hold someone, preventing them from leaving.
"Police detained the suspect for questioning."
2
To delay someone or keep them from moving on.
"Sorry to detain you — I just have one more question."
How to Use Detain
Learner’s notesIn plain EnglishTo hold someone back, either officially in custody or simply by delaying them.
Common pairings
detain a suspect
detained for questioning
won't detain you long
Word Forms
detained past tense, detains singular
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Etymology
From Old French detenir, from Latin detinere, "to hold back" — from de- and tenere ("to hold").