in custody

in custody — 慣用語

1. kept in a police station or prison after being arrested, while a court decides w

1.慣用語B2
釋義

被拘留；在押

被警方或法院拘留看管

kept in a police station or prison after being arrested, while a court decides whether there is enough evidence for a trial or whether the person can be released before the trial date

例句

The police held the suspect in custody for two days before a judge set bail.

警方將那名嫌疑人拘留了兩天，之後法官才決定是否准予保釋。

hold someone in custody — the most common active verb pattern

Suspects in custody must be allowed to speak to a lawyer within twenty-four hours.

被拘留的嫌疑人必須在二十四小時內獲准與律師會面。

passive sense with 'be in custody' as a postmodifier

同義詞
  • detained

    broader meaning — can include short-term questioning before formal arrest

  • under arrest

    focuses on the moment of being arrested rather than the period of being held afterwards

  • imprisoned

    longer-term; usually after conviction and sentencing, not before trial

反義詞
  • released

    no longer held by authorities

  • on bail

    released from custody on the condition of paying money and appearing in court later

文法句型

be in custody

hold / keep someone in custody

take someone into custody

release someone from custody

用法筆記

This fixed phrase is almost always used in legal or police contexts. It appears most often after the verb 'be' (e.g., 'the suspect is in custody') or after verbs of detention such as 'hold', 'keep', 'take', 'place', 'remand'. The related phrase 'in the custody of' has a different meaning — it refers to legal guardianship of a child, not police detention.

常見錯誤

❌The child was placed in custody of his grandparents.' (when the intended meaning is police detention)
✅The suspect was placed in custody.
💡'in the custody of someone' means legal guardianship of a child, while 'in custody' alone means detention by authorities.