detention cell
2
4.4
- noun
- /dɪˈtɛnʃən sɛl/
:
celda de detención
- Making an unexpected reappearance back in the detention cells through the roof would make her escape pointless.
Examples
-
The play opens in a detention cell in London.
Fiction book (1990) -
I've seen detention cells with more character.
-
Then free our people from the detention cells below and launch a counteroffensive from within.
-
He's spends half his day in the detention cells at the Hall of Justice.
-
"Any luck with the other knife, sir?" Inside the detention cell, Asmund was sitting by herself, watching the conversation on the other side of the transparent energy barrier.
Fiction book (1991) -
After being arrested, the suspect was taken to a detention cell to await further questioning.
-
The new facility has several detention cells designed for short-term custody while processing inmates.
-
While they were held in the detention cell, the officers monitored their behavior closely.
Synonyms
549
5.6
A small room in a prison or police station where a prisoner is held
40
5.5
A small room in a police station where police keep people temporarily
33
4.1
A secure room in a police station where people wait briefly before going to court
4
8.2
A large room where many arrested people are kept together by the police for a short time
Antonyms
How Secure
Surface Forms
Morphology
The meaning is a direct composition of 'detention' (being kept in custody) and 'cell' (a room for holding prisoners); a B1 learner who knows both words will readily infer it denotes a room/enclosure where people are temporarily held. This noun+noun construction is a common and transparent pattern across languages, so no prior idiomatic knowledge is required.
Etymology
Detention cell comes from two simple words: detention, meaning 'to hold', and cell, a small locked room. Picture people kept together in that locked room while they wait for paperwork or to be moved, and that's why it means a place where people are held temporarily.