Quick Answer • Definition
Detain definition: To hold someone in official custody, especially for a short period, or to keep someone from proceeding.
Definitions of Detain
- 1verb
To hold someone in official custody, especially for a short period, or to keep someone from proceeding.
- 2verb
To delay or hold back someone or something from proceeding or continuing.
Example Sentences
formal
“The police decided to detain the suspect for further questioning.”
casual
“A minor accident detained traffic for an hour on the highway.”
Explore Vocabulary by Topic
Popular TopicsInflected Word Forms
third person singulardetains
past tensedetained
present participledetaining
noundetention
agent noundetainer
Frequently Asked Questions: Detain in English
What is the meaning of Detain in English?▼
Detain definition: To hold someone in official custody, especially for a short period, or to keep someone from proceeding.
How do you translate 'Detain' to English?▼
'Detain' translates to 'detain' in English. Detain definition: To hold someone in official custody, especially for a short period, or to keep someone from proceeding.
How do you pronounce 'Detain' and 'detain'?▼
Listen to clear English audio pronunciation of 'Detain' and native English audio speech for 'detain' with bilingual sentence examples on DictBridge.
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