Meaning & use
in custody
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Meanings
phrasefixed phraselegal
Held by the police or another authority, usually after an arrest or while waiting for trial.
Grammar: Often follows be or remain: he is in custody.
Patterns
- be in custody
- remain in custody
Two suspects are in custody after the robbery.
The man remained in custody until his hearing.
She spent the weekend in custody before being released.
phrasefixed phraselegal
Under the legal care and control of a parent, guardian or other person, usually after a court decision about a child.
Grammar: Often with a person: the child is in her mother's custody.
Patterns
- in someone's custody
The boy is in his grandmother's custody for now.
The court left the twins in custody of their father.
The documents stayed in custody of the bank until payment.
Common combinations
- remain in custody
- The defendant will remain in custody until the trial.
- be taken into custody
- The driver was taken into custody at the scene.
- release someone from custody
- Officers released him from custody the next day.
- hold someone in custody
- The police can hold a suspect in custody for a limited time.
- die in custody
- An inquiry began after a prisoner died in custody.
Synonyms and how they differ
- under arrest
- Under arrest describes the moment of being arrested, while in custody describes the continuing state of being held.
- behind bars
- Behind bars is informal and suggests prison, whereas in custody can mean a police station before any conviction.
- detained
- Detained is a single word that also covers non-police holding, such as at an airport or border.
Opposites
Word family
Commonly confused: in custody or in custody of?
in custody vs in custody of
In custody of can sound like guardianship; for a person held by police you use plain in custody.
Practice
Which sentence uses in custody in the arrest sense?
Choose one answer.
In custody here means held by the police after an arrest. The other options stretch the phrase to uses that no one would naturally say.
Make it your own
Write a sentence using “in custody”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.