ISEE/SSAT Vocabulary BuilderWordsDdetain
ISEE/SSATeasy
detain
Meaning: to keep someone from leaving; to hold back
detain in a sentence
How detain is used in real sentences:
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.
“The storm would detain them there until the rescue boat could cross the reef.”
— from the passage Signal in the Storm
Synonyms for detain
Other words for detain — hold, delay and confine — carry the same meaning.
- hold
- delay
- confine
Antonyms of detain
Words that mean the opposite of detain:
- release
- free
Where it comes from
From Latin detinere 'to hold back'
Word parts
- ten/tain/tin — hold, keep
detain: de- (back) + tain (hold)
Memory hook
DETAIN sounds like 'the train' — you're held back and miss it.