Pronunciation change

Verb change

Plain form
detain

Third-person singular
detains

Past tense
detained

Past participle
detained

Present participle
detaining

  1. (transitive) If you detain someone, you prevent them from proceeding by holding them back.
  2. (transitive) If a person is detained, they are put under custody.
  3. (transitive) If goods are detained, they are seized for official purposes.

Related words change