protective custody
Americannoun
Etymology
Origin of protective custody
First recorded in 1935–40
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.
His party says he has been arrested; the government says that he is in protective custody.
From BBC ● Oct. 13, 2026
An administrative official, speaking on condition of anonymity, told AFP that the chief minister had been placed in "protective custody" in his official residence but later moved to another location, which he did not disclose.
From Barron's ● Oct. 12, 2026
Now he’d be sent to the hospital, stitched up, placed in protective custody, and sent to another prison.
From Slate ● Oct. 8, 2025
Hernandez’s 2-year-old child recovered from the ordeal and has since been placed in protective custody, according to the police report.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 9, 2025
Half of the inmates in the Box, as it turned out—all thirty on the upper floor—were not disciplinary cases but men under protective custody, of which there were two kinds.
From "Newjack: Guarding Sing Sing" by Ted Conover
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Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
