Detain

Definition: Detain

Detain

Verb

1. Deprive of freedom; take into confinement.

2. Stop or halt; "Please stay the bloodshed!".

3. Cause to be slowed down or delayed; "Traffic was delayed by the bad weather".

Source: WordNet 1.7.1 Copyright © 2001 by Princeton University. All rights reserved.
 

Date "detain" was first used in popular English literature: sometime before 1321. (references)

Synonyms: Detain

Retention

Secure, withhold, detain; hold back, keep back; keep close; husband; (store); reserve; have in stock, have on hand, keep in stock; (possess); entail, tie up, settle.

Crosswords: Detain

The party members who are doctors we detain for a very brief period of time (Citizen X; writing credit: Robert Cullen; Chris Gerolmo)

You were told to investigate them, not detain them (Citizen X; writing credit: Robert Cullen; Chris Gerolmo)

Source: compiled by the editor from various references; see credits.

Source: compiled by the editor from various references.

And not all that could be urged to detain her succeeded

A young woman dressed in a long pink gown laid her hand on his arm to detain him and gazed into his face

They early introduce us to and detain us in scenery with which otherwise, at that age, we should have little acquaintance

Source: compiled by the editor from various references.

Business

It may detain persons seeking refugee status, particularly non-Arabs, while they await resettlement in a third country. (references)

Meanwhile, the Government also continued to detain the boy selected by the Dalai Lama as the Panchen Lama's reincarnation. (references)

Children

Venezuela

Children's rights advocates claim that curfews permit the police to act arbitrarily and detain persons who have committed no crime. (references)

United Kingdom

Under the 2000 Prevention of Terrorism Act, the police can arrest and detain children as young as 10 years of age for up to 7 days, although no children were detained under the act during the year. (references)

Civil Liberties

Algeria

They sometimes detain persons at these checkpoints. (references)

Economic History

Zimbabwe

This gave government authorities widespread powers under the "Law and Order Maintenance Act," including the right to detain persons without charge. (references)

Canada

It is now possible to obtain, prior to the commencement of an action, a court order requiring Canadian customs officials to detain such infringing goods pending trial. (references)

Saudi Arabia

Courts can impose precautionary restraint of personal property pending the adjudication of a commercial dispute, according to Royal Decree No. M/4 of October 2, 1989. This decree has diminished the incentive for individuals to physically detain foreign partners pending the resolution of commercial disputes. (references)

Human Rights

Venezuela

The army stated that it did not detain Rivas. (references)

Georgia

Police frequently detain persons without warrants. (references)

Libya

Security forces arbitrarily arrest and detain citizens. (references)

Political Economy

Mali

Occasionally police arbitrarily arrest and detain persons. (references)

Saudi Arabia

The Mutawwa'in continued to intimidate, abuse, and detain citizens and foreigners. (references)

Sudan

In 2000 the Government used the state of emergency to detain more than 100 individuals. (references)

Women

Kazakhstan

Police also may not detain a person legally for more than 72 hours if the victim refuses to provide a written complaint and in most cases, women refuse to follow through with charges. (references)

New Zealand

It expanded intervention measures, such as the use of protection orders; education programs for men, women, and children; stronger police powers to arrest and detain offenders; improved access to legal services for women eligible for legal aid; and tougher penalties for breach of a protection order. (references)

Worker Rights

Argentina

In September the Buenos Aires provincial government issued a decree that police detain children begging in public places. (references)

Source: compiled by the editor from ICON Group International, Inc.; see credits.

Albanian

vonoj (be late, delay, hang up, hinder, hold up, linger, procrastinate, retard, slow down, wait), pengoj (arrest, baffle, balk, baulk, block, clog, cross, cumber, delay, embarrass, encumber, estop, foil, forbid, frustrate, get in the way, hamper, handicap, hedge in, hinder, hobble, impede, inhibit, interfere, interfere with, interrupt, jam, keep away from, let, obstruct, occlude, oppose, preclude, prevent, prohibit, resist, set back, shut in, stumble, trammel, traverse, trouble), përmbaj (carry, check, choke, comprise, constrain, contain, control, Cork, deter, embrace, feature, gulp, hold, hold back, hold in, include, incorporate, pocket, repress, restock, restrain, stay), ndaloj (arrest, balk, ban, bar, baulk, block, break down, cease, challenge, close down, come to a halt, debar, disallow, disqualify, enjoin, estop, forbid, halt, impede, inhibit, interdict, negative, nip, prevent, prohibit, proscribe, pull up, stall, stop, tackle, withhold), mbaj në arrest, frenoj (apply the brakes, be an obstacle to, bit, brake, check, choke up, clog, contain, control, Cork, damp, delay, deter, fetter, guard, hamper, hang up, hedge in, hold, hold back, hold in, inhibit, interrupt, keep in, put back, rein, retard, set back, stay put, stem, stop). (various references)

Arabic 

‏حجز (attach, attachment, be taken, bespeak, bond, confine, confinement, constrain, derequisition, detention, distrain, foreclose, have reservations, immure, impound, incarcerate, incarceration, keep, lock, mew, put away, recapture, reservation, reserve, restrain, retention, seize, seizure, sequester, sequestration, shut, staunch, stop, tackle), ‏سجن (be imprisoned, can, clap, clink, confine, cooler, detention, gaol, hatch, hock, immure, imprison, imprisonment, incarcerate, incarceration, intern, internment, jail, jug, lock up, lockup, log cabin, mure, nick, penitentiary, pokey, prison, quod, send up, stir, throw), ‏عاق (baffle, balk, block, cramp, delay, derange, deter, dirty, discourage, disloyal, disturb, embarrass, encumber, estop, handicap, hinder, hobble, hurt, impede, impious, interrupt, penalize, preclude, prevent, retard, set back, shackle, stifle, thankless, thwart, tie up, trammel, trap, undutiful, ungrateful, unthankful), ‏أخر (delay, intercept, postpone, protract, put back, retard, set back, wait). (various references)

Bulgarian 

забавям (arrest, cool, defer, delay, hang up, hold back, hold off, hold over, inhibit, postpone, put back, put over, retard, set back, sidetrack, slacken, slow, slow down, stave off, steady), задържам (apprehend, arrest, can, contain, deter, entrap, hold, hold back, hold off, hold over, hold up, immobilize, inhibit, keep, keep away, keep back, keep down, occlude, press back, reserve, restrain, retain, trig), преча (balk, baulk, collar, hinder, interfere, interrupt, intrude, put off). (various references)

Chinese 

扣留 (hold in custody). (various references)

Czech

zdržet (delay, hang up, hold up, keep, retard), zajistit (assure, ensure, make certain, make sure, pot, provide, safeguard, secure, vindicate). (various references)

Danish

opholde (hold back, retain). (various references)

Dutch

reserveren (book, hold back, reserve, retain), ophouden (cease, come to an end, end, end up, expire, extend, hold back, retain, stop, strech out), detineren (hold back, retain). (various references)

Esperanto

reteni (hold back, retain). (various references)

Faeroese

taka (conquer, get, hold back, lay hold of, pick up, retain, take), halda frá (hold back, retain), halda eftir (hold back, retain). (various references)

Farsi 

معطل کردن (Loiter), توقیف کردن (Apprehend, Arrest, Book, Confiscate, Grab, Impound, Intern, Seize, Sequester, Suppress), بازداشتن (Arrest, Bar, Bloc, Block, Contain, Debar, Deter, Encumber, Impede, Interdict, Prevent, Stay, Stow). (various references)

Finnish

viivyttää (delay, retard, take up time), pidättää (arrest, hold back, keep back, reserve, restrain, take into custody, withhold). (various references)

French

détiens, détiennent, détenons, détenir (be detained), détenez, retenir (delay), réprimer, faire retarder, entraver (delay, deter), consigner (deposit). (various references)

Frisian

ôfhâlde (hold back, retain). (various references)

German

zurückhalten (abstract, hold, hold back, hold in, keep, keep back, refrain, repress, restrain, retain, retard, suppress, to hold back, to refrain, to reserve, to retard, withheld, withhold, withholds). (various references)

Greek 

κρατώ (bear, carry, hold, hold пn to, hold οn to, hold out, intern, keep, keep to, reserve, retain, sustain, withhold), καθυστερώ (defer, delay, fall behind, fall behind with, hold up, lag, linger, retard). (various references)

Hebrew 

למ�"מ�" (delay), לעכב (dally, delay, hinder, hold up, impede, inhibit, prevent, retard, stop, stunt), לאחר (after, be late, come late, delay, lag, overstay), ל�"ש�"ות (defer, postpone, retard, withhold), ל�"חזיק במעצר. (various references)

Hungarian

visszatart (contain, hold, hold back, hold in, hold off, keep in, recoup, restrain, retain, retard, to check, to contain, to detain, to entrap, to hold back, to keep back, to keep from, to pocket, to pull, to pull up, to recoup, to repress, to restrain, to retain, to stay, withhold), õrizetben tart (intern). (various references)

Indonesian

mendeking (cut off, protect), menangkap (absorb, arrest, capture, catch, cop, grab), menahan (bate, bridle, curb, endure, keep back, retain, weather, withhold, withstand). (various references)

Italian

ritenere (account, assume, believe, calculate, consider, consider oneself, count, deem, feel, hold, hold back, keep, refrain, retain, withhold). (various references)

Japanese Kanji 

留め置く (to detain, to keep, to leavetill called for, to lock up, to retain), 留める (to cease, to detain, to fasten, to put an end to, to stop, to turn off), 引止める (to check, to detain, to restrain), 引き留める (to check, to detain, to restrain), 引き止める (to check, to detain, to restrain). (various references)

Japanese Katakana 

ひきとめる (to check, to detain, to restrain), とめおく (to detain, to keep, to leavetill called for, to lock up, to retain), とめる (to detain, to fasten, to give shelter to, to halt, to lodge, to stop, to turn off). (various references)

Korean 

억류하십시�". (various references)

Manx

pryssoonaghey (confine, gaol, imprison, incarcerate), cumrail (delay, deter, encumber, encumbrance, hindrance, lag, loiter, obstruction, prevent). (various references)

Norwegian

oppholde, holde tilbake. (various references)

Pig Latin

etainday.(various references)

Portuguese

reter (abstract, contain, hold, hold back, immobilize, keep back, occlude, preserve, restrain, retain, withhold), deter (abstract, arrest, buttonhole, dam up, deter, hold back, intercept, refrain, resist, restrain, retain, stop, suspend). (various references)

Romanian

reţine (arrest, bespeak, book, catch, confine, delay, dock, engage, fix, ground, hinder, hold, hold in, impede, keep, keep back, keep in, laten, learn, memorize, nota bene, refrain, remember, reserve, restrain, retain, secure, stop, take by the button, trammel, withhold), face sã întârzie (delay, hinder), împiedica (arrest, back, balk, baulk, block, brake, check, circumvent, clog, delay, deter, embarrass, encumber, forbid, foreclose, hamper, help, hinder, hitch, hobble, hold, hopple, impede, inhibit, intercept, lock, obstruct, prevent, put on the brakes, restrain, shackle, shut out, snag, stay, stop, trammel, withhold). (various references)

Russian 

задерживать (arrest, balk, baulk, block, defer, delay, delayed, hold over, impede, keep, keep down, retard, stall, stop, suspends). (various references)

Serbo-Croatian

zadržati (delay, dwell, hold back, hold down, impeach, keep, keep back, reserve, restrain, retain, stem, stop, withhold), uhapsiti (arrest, bust up, immure, imprison, incarcerate, nab, pick up, pinch, pull in, quod, run in). (various references)

Spanish

retener (carry, hoard up, hold, hold back, hold on to, keep, keep back, prevent, retain, to deter, withhold). (various references)

Swedish

uppehålla (be detained, delay, discharge, keep, keep up, maintain, reside, sojourn, stall, stay, support, sustain), låta sitta kvar efter skoldagens slut (keep in), kvarhålla i häkte, kvarhålla (keep), internera (confine, intern), hindra (balk, bar, baulk, clog, constrain, contain, cramp, cross, cumber, curb, embarrass, encumber, forbid, foreclose, hamper, hamstring, hedge, hinder, impede, inhibit, interfere with, keep back, obstruct, occlude, preclude, prevent, put back, short circuit, snag, stay, stymie, trammel, traverse), fördröja (delay, retard, set back, slow down, stall). (various references)

Thai

กักขัง (hem in). (various references)

Turkish

mahrum etmek (abridge, con smb. out of, debar, debar from, deny, deprive, dispossess, divest, divest smb. of, lose, mulct, oust, shear, spoil, starve, stint), hapsetmek (bar, cage, confine, immure, imprison, incarcerate, intern, jail, lock up, mew, mew up, mure, pen, pen in, pen up, restrain, shut in, shut up), gözaltına almak (hold, intern, take into custody, take smb. in charge), alıkoymak (check, constrain, deforce, delay, disable, hinder, hold, hold up, incapacitate, intercept, keep, keep from, keep in, preclude, restrain, retain, retard, stay, stick, stop, withhold). (various references)

Turkmen 

saklamak (keep, store), gьяmemek (amuse, entertain), eglemek (delay, hold up). (various references)

Ukrainian

утримувати (aliment, cater, deduct, deter, hold, interdict, keep, maintain, retain, subsist), тримати під вартою, затримувати (apprehend, arrest, balk, dam, defer, delay, deport, impede, impound, intern, nip, pull back, withhold). (various references)

commorabitur, commorabuntur, commorantem, commorantes, commorantium, commorantur, commorari, commorata, commoratae, commorati, commoratique, commoratus, commoremur, commorer, detenta, detentio, detentus, detineat, detinebam, detinebant, detinemus, detineo, detinere, detinuimus, detinuit, distringam, distringet, prehendo, retineo. (various references)

detenir. (various references)

repryen. (various references)

Source: compiled by the editor from various references; see credits.

Source: compiled by the editor from various references; see credits.

Derivations

Words beginning with "detain": detained, detainee, detainees, detainer, detainers, detaining, detainment, detainments, detains. (additional references)

Misspellings

"Detain" is suggested in spellcheckers for the following: cetain, Dajani, Daktarin, Dataid, datain, Datini, deaton, Defazio, Degania, Dehaen, Dentelin, Desaix, destain, detane, detia, Dewani, dietki, diktaean, diktaian, ditan, dutfin, edain, etain, Settani, sextain, tetani. (additional references)

Source: compiled by the editor (additional references); see credits.

Scrabble® Enable2K-Verified Anagrams

-1 letter: anted, entia, teind, tenia, tinea, tined.

-2 letters: adit, aide, ante, anti, date, dean, deni, dent, diet, dine, dint, dita, dite, edit, etna, idea, neat, nide, nite, tain, tend, tide, tied, tine.

-3 letters: aid, ain, ait, and, ane, ani, ant, ate, den, die, din, dit, eat, end, eta, nae, net, nit, tad, tae, tan.

+1 letter: antired, audient, defiant, depaint, destain, detains, detrain, deviant, fainted, inedita, instead, mediant, painted, patined, sainted, stained, tainted, trained.

+2 letters: accident, actinide, adenitis, andesite, animated, anointed, antherid, anticked, antidote, antinode, antipode, antiqued, antiweed, arointed, astonied, attained, audients, bidental, catenoid, ctenidia, daintier, dainties, dandiest, dateline, debating, delating, delation, dementia, dentalia, dentinal, depaints, derating, destains, detained, detainee, detainer, detrains, deviants, diamante, dicentra, dipteran, distance, divalent, dominate, donative, dynamite, entailed, gradient, handiest, ideating, ideation, incanted, incudate, indagate, indicate, indurate, inflated, instated, inundate, iodinate, lineated, mediants, nictated, nitrated, obtained, ordinate, pantiled, pedantic, pinnated, randiest, rationed, redating, retained, ruinated, sandiest, sedating, sedation, sinuated, steading, strained, tetanoid, tideland, treading, urinated, vanitied.