detention
n. C / Un. the act of keeping someone in a place they are not allowed to leave, like a prison or a police station. It can also mean a punishment in school where a student must stay after classes are over.
n. the state of being held in official custody, especially for political or legal reasons. In an educational context, it refers to a disciplinary sanction where a student is required to remain at school beyond standard hours.
The police ordered the detention of the suspect for forty-eight hours.
After the protest, several activists were held in detention without being charged with a specific crime.
International human rights observers expressed grave concern regarding the arbitrary detention of journalists and the lack of due process afforded to those held in the capital.
Borrowed from Middle French détention, from Latin detentio, detentionem. Equivalent to detain + -tion.
Uncountable when referring to the general state of being held; countable when referring to a specific instance or period of time.