de
tain
Third Person
detains
Present Participle
detaining
Past Tense
detained
Past Participle
detained
1
to officially hold someone in a place, such as a jail, and not let them go
transitive
- The immigration officers have the authority to detain individuals entering the country illegally.
- The police decided to detain the suspect for further questioning.
- During the investigation, law enforcement has the power to detain individuals suspected of a crime.
- Border security may detain individuals without proper documentation at the airport.
- The store security may detain shoplifters until the arrival of law enforcement.
Synonyms:
Antonyms:
2
to hold someone or something back, preventing further action or movement
transitive
- The storm detained us at the airport for several hours.
- He was detained by a last-minute meeting and missed the train.
- They detained the car at the border for inspection.
- She was detained at the entrance until her identification was verified.
- The security guard detained the visitors until the manager arrived.