DETAIN DEFINITIONS - 12 definitions found
detain v 1: deprive of freedom; take into confinement [syn: confine, detain] [ant: free, liberate, loose, release, unloose, unloosen] 2: stop or halt; "Please stay the bloodshed!" [syn: stay, detain, delay] 3: cause to be slowed down or delayed; "Traffic was delayed by the bad weather"; "she delayed the work that she didn't want to perform" [syn: delay, detain, hold up] [ant: hurry, rush] detain danite tienda adient detain c.1440, from M.Fr. detenir, from O.Fr. detenir "to hold off, keep back" (12c.), from L. detinere "hold off, keep back," from de- "from, away" + tenere "to hold." Merriam-Webster's Collegiate Dictionary, 11th Edition (2003) detain transitive verb Etymology: Middle English deteynen, from Anglo-French deteign-, stem of detenir, modification of Latin detinēre, from de- + tenēre to hold — more at thin Date: 15th century 1. to hold or keep in or as if in custody <detained by the police for questioning> 2. obsolete to keep back (as something due) ; withhold 3. to restrain especially from proceeding <was detained by a flat tire> Synonyms: see keep, delay • detainment noun Oxford English Reference Dictionary
Collins COBUILD Advanced Learner\'s English Dictionary detain (detains, detaining, detained) 1. When people such as the police detain someone, they keep them in a place under their control. (FORMAL) The act allows police to detain a suspect for up to 48 hours... VERB: V n 2. To detain someone means to delay them, for example by talking to them. (FORMAL) Thank you. We won't detain you any further. VERB: V n English Explanatory Dictionary detain dɪˈteɪn v.tr. 1 keep in confinement or under restraint. 2 keep waiting; delay. øødetainment n. [ME f. OF detenir ult. f. L detinere detent- (as DE-, tenere hold)] Webster's Revised Unabridged Dictionary (1913) Detain \De*tain"\ (d[-e]*t[=a]n"), v. t. [imp. & p. p. Detained; p. pr. & vb. n. Detaining.] [F. d['e]tenir, L. detinere, detentum; de + tenere to hold. See Tenable.] 1. To keep back or from; to withhold. Detain not the wages of the hireling. --Jer. Taylor. 2. To restrain from proceeding; to stay or stop; to delay; as, we were detained by an accident. Let us detain thee, until we shall have made ready a kid for thee. --Judges xiii. 15. 3. To hold or keep in custody. Syn: To withhold; retain; stop; stay; arrest; check; retard; delay; hinder. Webster's Revised Unabridged Dictionary (1913) Detain \De*tain"\, n. Detention. [Obs.] --Spenser. Soule\'s Dictionary of English Synonyms detain v. a. 1. Restrain, stay, check, delay, retain, stop, keep back. 2. Confine, hold or keep in custody. Moby Thesaurus II by Grady Ward, 1.0 114 Moby Thesaurus words for "detain": apprehend, arrest, backpedal, backwater, block, bog down, bottle up, box up, brake, bust, buttonhole, cage, check, clip the wings, cloister, confine, constrain, coop, coop in, coop up, cork up, countercheck, crib, curb, dam up, damp, dampen, decelerate, delay, drag, draw rein, ease off, ease up, encage, enclose, fence in, hang up, hem in, hinder, hold, hold back, hold in check, hold in custody, hold in restraint, hold up, immure, impede, impound, inhibit, intercept, interfere, intermeddle, interrupt, intervene, keep, keep back, keep in, keep in check, keep in custody, keep in detention, keep out, lag, let down, let up, lose ground, lose momentum, lose speed, make late, meddle, mew, mew up, mire, moderate, nab, obstruct, oppose, pen, pen up, pick up, pinch, pound, pull in, rail in, reef, rein in, relax, repress, reserve, resist, restrain, restrict, retain, retard, run in, scotch, seal up, set back, shackle, shut in, shut up, slack off, slack up, slacken, slow, slow down, slow up, snub, stay, stop, suppress, take in sail, throttle down, wall in, withhold |
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