definitions

detain

[ dih-teyn ]
/ dɪˈteɪn /
||
SEE MORE SYNONYMS FOR detain ON THESAURUS.COM

verb (used with object)

to keep from proceeding; keep waiting; delay.
to keep under restraint or in custody.
Obsolete. to keep back or withhold, as from a person.

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RELATED WORDS

apprehend, delay, confine, jail, decelerate, hinder, retard, nab, pinch, inhibit, bust, withhold, intern, restrain, ice, mire, impede, constrain, check, reserve

Nearby words

detail, detail drawing, detailed, detailer, detailing, detain, detainee, detainer, detect, detection, detective

Origin of detain

1480–90; detainen < Anglo-French, Old French detenir < Vulgar Latin *dētenīre, for Latin dētinēre, equivalent to dē- de- + -tinēre, combining form of tenēre to hold

Related forms

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019

Examples from the Web for detain

British Dictionary definitions for detain

detain

/ (dɪˈteɪn) /

verb (tr)

to delay; hold back; stop
to confine or hold in custody; restrain
archaic to retain or withhold

Derived Forms

detainable, adjectivedetainee (ˌdiːteɪˈniː), noundetainment, noun

Word Origin for detain

C15: from Old French detenir, from Latin dētinēre to hold off, keep back, from de- + tenēre to hold
Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012