English - Hungarian

detention

gb/dɪtˈɛnʃən/ us/dɪtˈɛnʃən/
B1 English
~ 5500
büntetésből való bent maradás, tanítás utáni bent tartás, fogva tartás, őrizet
NOUN B1
1
Usage pattern:
to give [a student] detention
If you're late again, you'll get detention after school.
Ha megint elkésel, tanítás után büntetésből bent kell maradnod.
The teacher gave him a week of detention for cheating on the test.
A tanár egy hétig büntetésből bent tartotta, mert puskázott a dolgozaton.
She had to stay for an hour of detention at lunchtime for talking in class.
Half the class ended up in detention after the food fight.
He spent Saturday morning in detention finishing his missing homework.
Learner examples
I got detention for using my phone in class.
Büntetésből bent kellett maradnom, mert órán használtam a telefonomat.
Our teacher gave us detention because we were too noisy.
A tanárunk büntetésből bent tartott minket, mert túl hangosak voltunk.
She has to stay in detention for thirty minutes after school.
They will get detention if they do not bring their books.
He often gets detention because he is late to class.
Common mistake:
Learners sometimes think 'detention' in a school context means being sent to prison. In schools, 'detention' specifically means staying at school during free time as a punishment, not being jailed. Some learners also confuse 'detention' with 'attention' because the words sound similar, but they have completely different meanings.
Meaning
school punishment of staying late
Collocations
after-school detention |lunch detention |Saturday detention |give [someone] detention |get detention |serve detention
Synonyms
punishment (More general; can be any negative consequence, not only staying at school.) | time-out (Commonly used for younger children; less formal and not specifically a school term.)
Antonyms
reward (Opposite in that it is a positive consequence instead of a punishment.)
Themes
education |school |discipline
Definition

A school punishment where a student must stay at school longer, or give up their free time, because they broke a rule.

A school punishment in which a student is required to stay in a classroom or at school for a set period of time outside their normal lesson or free time, usually for breaking rules.

NOUN B2 FORMAL
2
Usage pattern:
to be held in detention
The activists were taken into detention after the protest.
A tüntetés után őrizetbe vették az aktivistákat.
He has spent three months in pretrial detention awaiting a court hearing.
Három hónapot töltött előzetes letartóztatásban, miközben a bírósági meghallgatására várt.
Human rights groups condemned the government's use of indefinite detention.
Dozens of migrants remain in immigration detention near the border.
The court ruled that her detention was unlawful and ordered her immediate release.
Learner examples
The police kept him in detention overnight.
A rendőrség éjszakára őrizetben tartotta.
Many refugees were placed in detention while their papers were checked.
Sok menekültet őrizetbe helyeztek, amíg ellenőrizték az irataikat.
After the protest, some students were in detention at the police station.
They are still in detention and cannot see their families.
The judge said his detention could not continue without a trial date.
Common mistake:
Learners sometimes use 'detention' for any kind of staying in a place, but it is normally used only when a person is not free to leave because of an authority such as the police, army, or immigration service. For normal waiting or staying in a place by choice, words like 'stay' or 'wait' are used instead.
Meaning
official custody by authorities
Collocations
in detention |pretrial detention |immigration detention |administrative detention |unlawful detention |detention center
Synonyms
custody (Very close in meaning; often used in legal and police contexts for being held by authorities.) | imprisonment (Suggests longer-term confinement in prison; 'detention' can be shorter or temporary.)
Antonyms
release (Opposite because it means allowing someone to leave custody or detention.)
Themes
law |government |crime |human rights
Definition

When the police or another authority keep a person in a place and do not let them go freely, often while they wait for a decision or trial.

The act or state of keeping someone in official custody, especially by the police, immigration authorities, or the military, so that they are not free to leave.

Grammar
Dictionary form
detention
IPA
GB/dɪtˈɛnʃən/
US/dɪtˈɛnʃən/
Syllables & stress
de - ten - tion (3 syllables)
Stress on 2nd syllable (ten)
Word forms
Noun
  • Base: detention
  • Plural: detention, detentions
Word family
Forms
detentions noun
Core family
detain verb C1
Related words
detainee noun
Negative and opposite forms
release verb B1
Expressions

administrative detention

1
/ədmˈɪnɪstɹˌeɪtɪv dɪtˈɛnʃən/
fixed phrase formal

detention without criminal trial

when a government keeps someone in detention for reasons like security or immigration, without first finding them guilty in a normal court trial

Examples
  • Human rights groups criticized the use of administrative detention against political activists.
  • The law allows for administrative detention in cases of serious security threats.
  • He was held in administrative detention for months without formal charges.

after-school detention

1
/ˈæftɚ skˈul dɪtˈɛnʃən/
fixed phrase

school detention after classes

a school punishment where a student must stay at school after the normal school day has finished

Examples
  • He has after-school detention three times this week for skipping class.
  • Students who are late more than three times receive after-school detention.
  • She missed the bus because she had after-school detention.

detention center

1
/dɪtˈɛnʃən sˈɛntɚ/
fixed phrase

facility for holding detainees

a special building where the government or police keeps people who are not free to leave, for example migrants or prisoners waiting for trial

Examples
  • Families gathered outside the detention center to demand information about their relatives.
  • The government plans to build a new immigration detention center near the airport.
  • Conditions inside the detention center have been criticized by human rights groups.

immigration detention

1
/ˌɪmɪɡɹˈeɪʃən dɪtˈɛnʃən/
fixed phrase formal

detention of migrants

a system where a country keeps migrants or asylum seekers in special centers while it decides if they can stay

Examples
  • The new law limits the use of immigration detention for children.
  • She spent eight months in immigration detention before receiving a visa.
  • Many organizations are calling for alternatives to immigration detention.

in detention

1
/ˈɪn dɪtˈɛnʃən/
fixed phrase

currently kept in custody

kept by police, school, or another authority and not free to go

Examples
  • He has been in detention for two days without seeing a lawyer.
  • The students who broke the rules are in detention this afternoon.
  • Journalists reported that hundreds of people remained in detention after the riots.

lunch detention

1
/lˈʌnt͡ʃ dɪtˈɛnʃən/
fixed phrase

school detention at lunchtime

a school punishment where a student must stay in a classroom or office during lunch instead of having free time

Examples
  • She got lunch detention for talking back to the teacher.
  • Students who forget their homework three times get lunch detention.
  • He spent most of last term in lunch detention for small rule breaks.

pretrial detention

1
/pɹitɹˈaɪəl dɪtˈɛnʃən/
fixed phrase formal

custody before a trial

the time when a person is kept in jail by the authorities after they are arrested but before they go to court

Examples
  • The suspect has already spent six months in pretrial detention.
  • The report argues that long periods of pretrial detention violate human rights.
  • Pretrial detention should be used only when there is a serious risk to the public.

juvenile detention

1
/d͡ʒˈuvənˌaɪl dɪtˈɛnʃən/
fixed phrase

custody facility for young offenders

A special jail-like place where young people who break the law are kept by the state.

Examples
  • He was sent to juvenile detention for stealing cars.
  • He spent six months in juvenile detention after the robbery.
  • The report called for better education programs in juvenile detention centers.
  • The city is building a new juvenile detention center to replace the old one.
  • Juvenile detention is supposed to focus on rehabilitation, not just punishment.

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