Definition of Detain

to keep (hold) someone and delay them from leaving a particular place

Examples of Detain in a sentence

Officers didn’t have enough evidence to detain their suspect, so they had to let him go free.  🔊

Brave citizens were able to detain the thief long enough for the police to arrive and cart him off to jail.  🔊

Airport workers can detain flyers and hold them for questioning if they feel they might be doing something illegal.  🔊

At the country’s border, patrol units decided to detain a vehicle and question the people inside.  🔊

Because the children are so young, the police decided not to detain them but let them go with a warning.  🔊

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