ISEE/SSAT Vocabulary Builder›Words›D›detain
ISEE/SSATeasy
detain
to keep someone from leaving; to hold back
Synonyms
- hold
- delay
- confine
Antonyms
- release
- free
detain in a sentence
Security guards detained the shoplifter until the police arrived at the mall.
Airport officials detained the traveler for an hour while they double-checked his documents.
Where it comes from
From Latin detinere 'to hold back'
Memory hook
DETAIN sounds like 'the train' — you're held back and miss it.
Read it in context
- Signal in the Storm Narrative