custody
Americannoun
-
keeping; guardianship; care.
- Synonyms:
- watch, charge, safekeeping
-
the keeping or charge of officers of the law.
The car was held in the custody of the police.
-
imprisonment; legal restraint.
He was taken into custody.
-
Also called child custody. Law. the right of determining the residence, protection, care, and education of a minor child or children, especially in a divorce or separation.
noun
-
the act of keeping safe or guarding, esp the right of guardianship of a minor
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the state of being held by the police; arrest (esp in the phrases in custody, take into custody )
Synonym Usage
Custody, keeping, possession imply a guardianship or care for something. Custody denotes a strict keeping, as by a formally authorized and responsible guardian or keeper: in the custody of the sheriff. Keeping denotes having in one's care or charge, as for guarding or preservation: I left the package in my mother's keeping. Possession means holding, ownership, or mastery: Leave it in possession of its owner.
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Etymology
Origin of custody
1400–50; late Middle English custodye < Latin custōdia “a watching, watchman,” equivalent to custōd- (stem of custōs ) “keeper” + -ia -y 3
Explanation
When you are legally responsible for another person, they are in your custody. Most parents have custody over their children. The word custody brings with it the meaning of care for. When someone is in your custody, it is not just that they reside with you, it is that you are responsible for taking good care of them. If you are arrested, you will be taken into police custody. While there in jail, it is their responsibility to protect you from harm.
Vocabulary lists containing custody
Holes
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Home of the Brave
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Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
It’s also a send-up of legal procedurals, with Lincoln’s cases including a fight over who’s the real Santa Claus and a custody battle that devolves into a theological debate.
From Los Angeles Times • Jun. 15, 2026
Ian McIntyre, 31, Kieran Doherty, 30, Calum McKelvie, 29, Jack Sanderson, 34, and Martin Tracey, 31, were all remanded in custody and will be sentenced next month.
From BBC • Jun. 15, 2026
Agents kept Shouhed, an Iranian immigrant, in custody for 12 hours after they learned he was a U.S. citizen who naturalized in the 1980s.
From Los Angeles Times • Jun. 14, 2026
In his sentencing remarks, Judge Nicholas Rowland said the offences committed by the two 15-year-olds "crossed the custody threshold".
From BBC • Jun. 12, 2026
“Can you think of anything else you and Bill haven’t brought up? Reasons you’d be the better choice for custody? Or—” She hesitated, then plunged in anyway.
From "Little Fires Everywhere" by Celeste Ng
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
