custody
Americannoun
plural
custodies-
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
-
the state of being held by the police; arrest (esp in the phrases in custody, take into custody )
Related Words
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
- custodial adjective
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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Word Generation Social Studies - Complex Questions Related to American Democracy
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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.
They have all been taken to a London police station where they currently remain in custody.
From BBC • Apr. 21, 2026
"You do not relocate vetted wartime allies, more than 400 of them children, from American custody into a country in the middle of its own collapse," he said in a statement.
From Barron's • Apr. 21, 2026
Depending on the case, judges are also mandating that the administration allow immigrants an opportunity to seek bond, which means a real opportunity to be temporarily freed from ICE custody.
From Salon • Apr. 21, 2026
“Right now, U.S. Marines have custody of the vessel.”
From The Wall Street Journal • Apr. 19, 2026
When my parents finally got official custody papers with legal instructions from a judge, I guess that sealed everything.
From "Blended" by Sharon M. Draper
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.
