Vocabulary
Detain
English and Urdu gloss, synonyms and antonyms, and example usage from our editorial sentence cache where available.
English meaning
keep (someone) from proceeding by holding them back or making claims on their attention.
Urdu meaning
قید کرنا، روک رکھنا
Example sentences (from Dawn)
Sentences are selected from stored editorial text where your search word appears. If none appear yet, run the admin sentence generator for fuller coverage.
- Pakistan repeatedly urged Kabul to disarm the TTP, detain its leaders and rein in its violent activities.
- These functions to retain, detain and convey storm-water are performed by various cloudburst typologies.
- The Prevention of Terrorism Act empowered police to arrest and detain suspects without a warrant, while police remained actively engaged with the community and maintained the special task force`s presence.
- Civil and military forces may now detain `terror suspects` for a period of three months or more based merely on `reasonable or credible information` or `reasonable suspicion`.
- The government claims the new laws will put an end to enforced disappearances, as now the authorities have the right to detain people for three months without any charge.
Synonyms
delay, hold up, make late, retard, keep (back), slow up, slow down, set back
Curator example
“she made to open the door, but he detained her”
More vocabulary to explore
About this vocabulary section.
These entries support close reading of Dawn editorials and opinion pieces: short definitions,
Urdu equivalents where we have them, word relations, and—when generated—real lines from the editorial archive
so you can see tone and usage.
Common questions
- Do I need to sign up to use this vocabulary page?
- No. Word pages are open to everyone. You can read meanings in English and Urdu, synonyms and antonyms, and example sentences without creating an account.
- Where do the example sentences come from?
- When available, example sentences are drawn from cached matches in our Dawn editorial corpus so you can see how a word is used in real newsroom-style prose.
- How is this different from a dictionary?
- This section is curated for students preparing for competitive exams and editorial reading. Entries are compact, often include Urdu glosses, and are paired with in-context lines from editorials when we have them.
