ShortMeaning, pronunciation & vowel sounds
Detain Meaning & Pronunciation
/dɪˈteɪn/ · verb
To detain someone means to keep them from leaving, either by delaying them briefly or by holding them in official custody. Detained is the past tense and past participle.
How to say it
How to pronounce detain
detain
The vowel breakdown
Vowel sounds in detain
Each vowel sound below shows the letters that spell it, the sound they make, and the phonics pattern behind it.
In the unstressed first syllable, e relaxes to the short /ɪ/ sound heard in sit. Some speakers say a schwa /ə/ instead.
Practise this pattern →Ai spells long A in the middle of a word, as in rain and train. The same sound is spelled ay at the end of a word.
Practise this pattern →Definition
What does detain mean?
To keep someone from leaving or continuing; to delay them.
“I will not detain you any longer, because I know you are busy.”
To hold a person in official custody, especially for a short time or for questioning.
“Police detained two men for questioning.”
Word forms: detain · detains · detaining · detained
Detained can also be an adjective: a detained person is someone who is being held in custody.
Where it comes from
Origin of detain
Detain comes from Old French detenir, from Latin detinere, meaning to hold off or keep back (de- meaning away, and tenere meaning to hold).
Similar words
Frequently asked questions
What does detained mean?
Detained means held or kept from leaving. It is the past tense of detain, and it is also used as an adjective for a person who is being held in custody.
How do you pronounce detain and detained?
Detain is /dɪˈteɪn/, or dih-TAYN, with the stress on the second syllable. Detained is /dɪˈteɪnd/. The -ed adds a /d/ sound but not a new syllable.
Is detain the same as arrest?
Not always. In everyday use, to detain someone is to hold them temporarily, for example for questioning, while an arrest is usually a formal step toward a charge. Exact legal meanings vary by country.
What vowel sounds are in detain?
Detain has a reduced short /ɪ/ sound in the unstressed first syllable and a long A sound, spelled ai, in the stressed second syllable.