Detain (Verb)
Meaning 1
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".
Classification
Verbs of size, temperature change, intensifying, etc..
Examples
- The highway construction managed to detain traffic for over three hours on a single day.
- A lack of documentation caused the delivery service to detain the package for inspection.
- Their inefficiency would detain the entire team, resulting in the project's failure to meet the deadline.
- The airline's technical issues were going to detain the passengers from boarding the plane.
- A combination of bad weather and air traffic caused the flights to detain numerous passengers overnight.
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Hypernyms
Hyponyms
Meaning 2
Stop or halt; "Please stay the bloodshed!".
Classification
Verbs of size, temperature change, intensifying, etc..
Examples
- We urge the nations involved to detain further military action and seek a peaceful resolution.
- The activist group called on the government to detain any plans to cut funding for social programs.
- In the face of severe human rights abuses, we must detain the regime's access to international aid.
- The citizens pleaded with their leaders to detain the execution and consider alternative solutions.
- Her impassioned speech urged world leaders to detain nuclear testing and prioritize diplomatic talks.
Synonyms
Hypernyms
Meaning 3
Deprive of freedom; take into confinement.
Classification
Verbs of political and social activities and events.
Examples
- The police will detain the suspect for further questioning about the crime scene evidence.
- The government may detain anyone suspected of being a threat to national security without a warrant.
- The customs officer decided to detain the passenger with the undeclared items for more questioning.
- More than 20 protesters were detain by the local authorities for causing public disorder.
- The border patrol agents chose to detain the migrant group until their immigration status could be verified.
Synonyms
Hyponyms
- Straiten
- Put Behind Bars
- Bind Over
- Trap
- Keep
- Keep In
- Jail
- Imprison
- Immure
- Put Away
- Lag
- Remand
- Jug
- Cage
- Intern
- Gaol