What does detain mean?
To detain means to hold someone so that they cannot leave, most often under the authority of police, immigration officers, or other officials. The word carries a distinctly formal tone and appears frequently in news reporting and legal language — suspects are detained for questioning, and individuals may be held at borders or in detention facilities. Detaining does not necessarily imply a formal arrest; someone can be detained briefly and released without charge, which makes the word useful for describing custody of varying degrees and duration. A secondary, milder sense means simply to delay someone, as when a meeting runs long and you are detained longer than expected. Derived forms include 'detention', 'detainee', and 'detainment'. The word comes ultimately from the Latin 'detinēre', meaning 'to hold off' or 'to keep back', formed from 'de-' and 'tenēre', 'to hold' — the same root that gives us 'retain', 'contain', 'tenant', and 'tenacious'.
verbTo detain is to keep someone in official custody or prevent them from leaving, typically by police or other authorities; it can also mean to delay or hold up a person.
- To keep someone in custody, especially by legal or police authority.
- To delay or hold back someone or something.
"The police detained the suspect for questioning before releasing him without charge."
"Immigration officials detained several travellers at the border pending further checks."
"I'm sorry to detain you, but I need a quick word before you go."
Every word from 'tenant' to 'tenacious' carries the same ancient root as 'detain' — the Latin 'tenēre', meaning to hold.
Reviewed by Deb Chak, Editor. AI-assisted content curated by RJS Tech Solutions LLP.
Etymology of detain
Detain entered English in the late Middle Ages, borrowed from Old French 'détenir', which derived from the Latin 'detinēre', meaning 'to hold off, keep back, or withhold'. This Latin verb combines the prefix 'de-' with 'tenēre', meaning 'to hold', a root that has proven remarkably productive in English, giving rise to words such as 'retain', 'contain', 'maintain', 'tenant', and 'tenacious'. The noun 'detention' followed soon after, and 'detainee' emerged much later, gaining wide currency during the twentieth century.
Related word forms
How detain is actually used
Formal in register, 'detain' is common in legal, journalistic, and official contexts. In its custody sense it often implies holding without formal arrest or charge; in everyday use it can politely mean delaying someone.
Easily confused with detain
Retain means to keep or continue to have something, while detain means to hold someone against their will or in custody.