detention

[dih-ten-shuhn]

noun

1. the act of detaining.

2. the state of being detained.

3. maintenance of a person in custody or confinement, especially while awaiting a court decision.

4. the withholding of what belongs to or is claimed by another.

adjective

1. of or relating to detention or used to detain.

   the detention room of a police station.

detention

/ dɪˈtɛnʃən /

noun

1. the act of detaining or state of being detained

2. 1. custody or confinement, esp of a suspect awaiting trial

   2. ( as modifier )

      a detention order

3. a form of punishment in which a pupil is detained after school

4. the withholding of something belonging to or claimed by another

Other Word Forms

• nondetention noun
• predetention noun

Word History and Origins

Origin of detention¹

1400–50; late Middle English < Latin dētentiōn- (stem of dētentiō ), equivalent to dētent ( us ) detained (past participle of dētinēre; detain ) + -iōn- -ion

Word History and Origins

Origin of detention¹

C16: from Latin dētentiō a keeping back; see _detain

Example Sentences

Unable to speak to his son for nine months, Mr Ibrahim has only heard accounts of his detention through court documents and says his son was forced to confess.

Read more on BBC

In Morocco, protesters won some pledges for social reforms, including improvement to health care and education, but by the end of October, more than 2,400 people -- including over 1,400 in detention -- faced prosecution.

Read more on Barron's

They are now being held in separate detention facilities.

Read more on BBC

He will begin serving his sentence in a federal police jail cell in the capital, Brasilia, where he has been detained since Saturday after being deemed a flight risk and removed from home detention.

Read more on BBC

The prime minister uploaded a video of his antics to Instagram, with the caption: "I think I just got myself put in detention..."

Read more on BBC

Related Words

• arrest 
• custody 
• delay 
• incarceration 
• internment 
• quarantine