detain
detain — 動詞
1. To keep a person in custody by official authority, not allowing them to leave fr
拘留
警方或官方強制留置
To keep a person in custody by official authority, not allowing them to leave freely — typically because the person is suspected of a crime or needs to answer investigators' questions.
Police detained Ziad for two hours after finding his car near the bank.
警方在銀行附近發現 Ziad 的車後，將他拘留了兩個小時。
detain + for [time period]
Immigration officials detained Liang at the airport when his visa expired.
海關人員在機場拘留了 Liang，因為他的簽證已經過期。
detained at [place] by [authority]
Mira was detained by security guards after she tried to enter without a pass.
Mira 因試圖無證進入而被警衛拘留。
The police detained the two men for questioning about the weekend robbery.
警方拘留了那兩名男子，以便就週末的搶案進行訊問。
Officials can detain a traveller whose documents look incorrect or unusual.
官員可以拘留證件看起來異常或不正確的旅客。
- hold
more general and less formal; can refer to any situation where someone is kept somewhere
- take into custody
more formal and specific to police procedure; implies the person is under arrest
- confine
suggests restriction to a small space for a longer period
文法句型
detain + person
be detained + for + reason/time
be detained + at + place
用法筆記
Often used in the passive voice (be detained). The subject is a person under suspicion, not a convicted criminal. Distinguish from Sense 3, where the detention is ordered by a court rather than by police or officials.
常見錯誤
2. When something detains you, it causes you to arrive somewhere later than you pla
耽誤；延誤
使某人耽擱或遲到
When something detains you, it causes you to arrive somewhere later than you planned or to spend more time in a place than you expected, usually for a short period.
A long phone call detained Jack at the office and made him late for dinner.
一通很長的電話讓 Jack 耽擱在辦公室，害他晚餐遲到了。
detained by [something] at [place]
Eve was detained by an urgent meeting that ran past six o'clock.
Eve 被一場開到六點多的重要會議耽誤了。
The teacher detained the class after the bell because nobody had finished the test.
因為沒有人寫完考卷，老師在下課後把全班留了下來。
Joaquín said, "Please do not let me detain you if you need to leave."
Joaquín 說：「如果你需要先走，請別讓我耽誤你。」
A heavy rainstorm detained the hikers on the mountain trail for an extra hour.
一場大暴雨讓登山客在山路上多耽擱了一個小時。
- speed up
to make something happen faster
- hurry along
to make someone move or act more quickly
文法句型
detain + person
be detained + by + thing/event
let me detain you (polite request)
用法筆記
Common in polite expressions such as 'I won't detain you any longer' or 'I don't want to detain you.' The cause of the delay can be a person, an event, or a thing. Unlike Sense 1, there is no suggestion of official authority or suspicion.
常見錯誤
3. When a court or judge detains someone, it orders the person to be kept in prison
羈押
法院裁定收押
When a court or judge detains someone, it orders the person to be kept in prison for a period of time decided by the legal system rather than for a fixed sentence — often while waiting for a trial or because the person is considered dangerous.
The judge ordered that the prisoner be detained until the start of the trial.
法官下令將該囚犯羈押到審判開始為止。
detained until [event] (court order)
Anthony was detained in prison while the court prepared his case.
Anthony 在法院準備案件期間被羈押在監獄中。
Under the new law, suspects can be detained for up to a year without trial.
根據新法，嫌犯最多可被羈押一年而無審判。
Iker was detained by court order because the judge considered him a danger to others.
Iker 被依法院命令羈押，因為法官認為他對他人構成危險。
The court detained the defendant to make sure he would appear at the trial.
法院羈押了被告，以確保他會出庭受審。
- imprison
suggests a fixed sentence for a crime rather than pre-trial or indeterminate detention
- incarcerate
very formal and technical; used in legal and official contexts
- lock up
informal; can refer to any situation where someone is put in a locked space
文法句型
detain + person
be detained + in + prison/institution
be detained + until + event
court orders that + person + be detained
用法筆記
Used in formal legal contexts. This sense differs from Sense 1 in that the detention is ordered by a court or judge — not by police or officials acting independently. The period is typically longer than in Sense 1, and the person is usually kept in a prison rather than a police station.