Detaining Meaning in English

word · lemma: detain

US

UK

Definition

Holding someone back, especially by the police or authorities, so they cannot leave. It is usually done while investigating a crime or for legal reasons.

Usage & Nuances

Used mainly in legal, police, or formal contexts. Collocates with 'police', 'authorities', or 'security'. Different from 'arresting', which is a formal charge; 'detaining' does not always mean the person will be charged.

• Spanish: detener - retener (por las autoridades)
• Portuguese (BR): deter - reter (por autoridades)
• Portuguese (PT): deter - reter (por autoridades)
• Chinese (Simplified): 扣留 - 拘留
• Chinese (Traditional): 扣留 - 拘留
• Hindi: नज़रबंद करना - रोकना (प्राधिकरण द्वारा)
• Arabic: احتجاز - توقيف
• Bengali: আটক করা - আটকিয়ে রাখা
• Russian: задерживать
• Japanese: 拘束する - 引き止める
• Vietnamese: giam giữ
• Korean: 구금하다 - 붙잡다
• Turkish: alıkoymak - gözaltına almak
• Urdu: تحویل میں لینا - روکنا
• Indonesian: menahan - menahan (oleh otoritas)

Example Sentences

The police are detaining two suspects for questioning.

basic

They are detaining travelers at the border.

basic

The officers are detaining him for further checks.

basic

"Why are they detaining you? You didn't do anything wrong!"

natural

Customs ended up detaining my luggage for almost an hour.

natural

They're not detaining anyone unless there's a good reason.

natural