🇬🇧🇪🇸 custody - detención : English Lesson

Meaning of "custody" ("detención"), detailed definition, and a short video lesson below.

“Custody” is when the police keep someone in jail and do not let them go home yet, usually because that person is waiting to see a judge in court. The person in custody cannot just walk away; they must stay where the police tell them until the court decides what happens next.

Watch and listen to this English flashcard to understand the word in more detail, with an easy example sentence.

The pillow-fighting siblings pretended their dad was the judge deciding who should be in custody for “crimes against bedtime.”

The police in my imagination took my alarm clock into custody for shouting too early in the morning.

My little brother put my diary in blanket custody and refused to release it without a cookie bribe.

The cookie thief was taken into custody by the Crumb Police, who followed a trail of chocolate chips.

In real life, people in custody must follow strict rules.

At midnight the police took a tired father into custody, cold metal at his wrists. In the small cell, custody felt heavy; he pressed his forehead to the bars and pictured his child. He knew custody would bring long questions. Officers shuffled custody papers. Dawn brought a lawyer, a court date, and release from custody; he ran home, relieved.

This word is at the C2 level, which means it represents the highest mastery of English. It’s often used in specialized or highly formal contexts and helps you communicate with precision and subtlety, much like a native speaker.

Expanding your English vocabulary is one of the best ways to improve your pronunciation, spelling, and confidence in English. Watch the video above to memorize the word, understand its meaning, and see example sentences in action. Discover related words to grow your vocabulary naturally. Add words to your playlist for stress-free, effective learning—anytime, anywhere! Watch, learn, repeat.