CUSTODY
Dictionary entry overview: What does custody mean?
• CUSTODY (noun)
The noun CUSTODY has 3 senses:
1. a state of being confined (usually for a short time)
2. holding by the police
3. (with 'in') guardianship over; in divorce cases it is the right to house and care for and discipline a child
Familiarity information: CUSTODY used as a noun is uncommon.
Dictionary entry details
• CUSTODY (noun)
Meaning:
A state of being confined (usually for a short time)
Classified under:
Nouns denoting stable states of affairs
Synonyms:
custody; detainment; detention; hold
Context examples:
his detention was politically motivated / the prisoner is on hold / he is in the custody of police
Hypernyms ("custody" is a kind of...):
confinement (the state of being confined)
Meaning:
Holding by the police
Classified under:
Nouns denoting acts or actions
Context example:
the suspect is in custody
Hypernyms ("custody" is a kind of...):
imprisonment; internment (the act of confining someone in a prison (or as if in a prison))
Meaning:
(with 'in') guardianship over; in divorce cases it is the right to house and care for and discipline a child
Classified under:
Nouns denoting acts or actions
Synonyms:
hands; custody
Context examples:
my fate is in your hands / too much power in the president's hands / your guests are now in my custody / the mother was awarded custody of the children
Hypernyms ("custody" is a kind of...):
guardianship; keeping; safekeeping (the responsibility of a guardian or keeper)
