Associations to the word «Detain»

Wiktionary

DETAIN, verb. Keep (someone) from proceeding by holding them back or making claims on their attention.
DETAIN, verb. (transitive) To put under custody.
DETAIN, verb. (transitive) To keep back or from; to withhold.

Dictionary definition

DETAIN, verb. Deprive of freedom; take into confinement.
DETAIN, verb. Stop or halt; "Please stay the bloodshed!".
DETAIN, verb. 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".

Wise words

A word is not a crystal, transparent and unchanged; it is the skin of a living thought and may vary greatly in color and content according to the circumstances and time in which it is used.
Oliver Wendell Holmes, Jr.