Meaning & use
holding cell
Last updated
Meaning
nouncountable
A room in a police station or courthouse where a person is kept for a short time before a hearing, questioning or release.
Grammar: Usually with in: held in a holding cell. It is meant for a short stay.
Patterns
- in a holding cell
- be placed in a holding cell
He spent the night in a holding cell before seeing the judge.
Officers placed the suspect in a holding cell while they filled in the paperwork.
The courthouse has several holding cells in the basement.
Word forms
| plural | holding cells |
|---|
Common combinations
- in a holding cell
- She waited in a holding cell for her lawyer.
- placed in a holding cell
- The driver was placed in a holding cell overnight.
- police holding cell
- A police holding cell is usually small and plain.
- escape from a holding cell
- Nobody has escaped from the holding cell in years.
- courthouse holding cell
- A courthouse holding cell keeps defendants close to the courtroom.
Synonyms and how they differ
- lockup
- Lockup is informal American usage for a small jail used for short detention, similar to a holding cell.
- jail
- Jail can hold people for weeks or months, while a holding cell is only for brief detention.
- prison
- Prison is for convicted people serving long sentences, while a holding cell is for those awaiting processing.
- detention cell
- Detention cell is a more formal term and may be used for longer or immigration-related holding.
Word family
Commonly confused: holding cell or prison cell?
holding cell vs prison cell
A prison cell is where a sentenced person lives for months or years, while a holding cell is only for short-term custody.
Practice
Which sentence best describes how a holding cell is used?
Choose one answer.
A holding cell is for short, temporary detention. Years-long sentences belong to a prison, and the other options are not its purpose.
Make it your own
Write a sentence using “holding cell”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.