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detention centre

detention centre

36 4.6
A place where people are kept for a short time, like prisoners or migrants, while their case is decided
  • noun
  • /dɪˈtɛnʃən ˈsɛntər/
  • UK
translation icon : centro de detención
  • So, if you decide to fight deportation, you'll have to stay in this detention center until your removal hearing.
  • juvenile detention centre

CIA is an intelligence agency, and it shouldn't be running detention centers.

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Examples

  • The duo had been held in a Moscow detention center since their arrests in March.

    Blog text (2)
  • Barnardo's is to run welfare services for children and families held in the government's proposed detention centre near Gatwick Airport.

    Academic text (2011)
  • Uh, well, when we were in the detention center, we had classes, two classes for the entire day.

    Academic text (2013)
  • It's a juvenile detention center.

  • And she actually did three months in an Italian detention center for credit card fraud.

    Fiction book (2002)
  • The only place you're going is a federal detention center.

  • We know that this Government detains children in detention centres here in the UK.

  • Westmount is a juvenile detention center for the criminally insane.

  • Six years ago, a web-based educational program was piloted in one of the juvenile detention centers in northwest Arkansas.

    Academic text (2008)
  • The government built a new detention centre to house refugees awaiting their immigration hearings.

Synonyms

jail
vsdetention centre
1.0

A building where people are kept as punishment or while waiting for their trial

focuses on temporary custody awaiting trial or status resolution rather than punishment
bullpen
vsdetention centre
  • US
4 8.2

A large room where many arrested people are kept together by the police for a short time

is a facility for temporary custody rather than a single room
detention cell
vsdetention centre
2 4.4

A large room in a jail or police station where officers keep several people for a short time

is a broader institution for temporary custody rather than only one room
detention camp
vsdetention centre
2 3.2

A place where refugees or migrants are kept temporarily while officials decide if they can enter the country

handles various people in custody, not only those with immigration issues
house of detention
vsdetention centre
  • Formal
1 7.7

A place where young people who broke the law are kept by the court for a short time

is more general and covers many groups beyond young offenders

Antonyms

1.0

The right to act, speak, or think as you want without being stopped

279 1.8

An act of letting someone or something go free from being held

How Secure

prison
1.0
detention centre
  • UK
36 4.6
jail
1.0
holding cell
33 4.1

Surface Forms

Morphology

detention + center

The meaning 'a place where people are held in custody' is directly and transparently composed from 'detention' (being kept in custody) + 'centre' (a place). This straightforward noun‑noun composition follows common English and cross‑linguistic patterns (e.g., 'center of X' / 'centre de X'), so a B1 learner knowing both words will readily infer the MWE meaning.

Etymology

Detention centre comes from the clear image of a building where people are kept for a short time. Detention means being kept and centre means a place, so it refers to a place where people are 'held' while their case or status is decided.