Meaning & use
suspect in custody
Last updated
Meaning
phrasefixed phraselaw
A person believed to have committed a crime who is being held by the police.
Grammar: Used as a fixed phrase, often after 'be' or 'have': 'The suspect is in custody.'
Patterns
- a suspect in custody
- the suspect is in custody
- hold a suspect in custody
Police announced that a suspect in custody had confessed to the robbery.
The suspect in custody will appear in court tomorrow morning.
Officials confirmed that the suspect was in custody and no longer a danger.
Common combinations
- a suspect in custody
- The news reported that a suspect in custody was helping with the investigation.
- hold a suspect in custody
- The judge ordered police to hold the suspect in custody until the trial.
- suspect in custody for questioning
- The man was a suspect in custody for questioning about the fire.
Synonyms and how they differ
- detained suspect
- Similar, but 'detained' can mean held for a short time without formal arrest, while 'in custody' usually means under arrest.
Opposites
Commonly confused: suspect in custody or suspect in costume?
suspect in custody vs suspect in costume
These sound similar but mean very different things: 'in custody' means held by police, while 'in costume' means wearing a disguise.
Practice
What does it mean if a newspaper says 'a suspect is in custody'?
Choose one answer.
'In custody' means the police have arrested and are holding the person. Option A describes a search, not custody; option B is the opposite; option D is not related to custody.
Make it your own
Write a sentence using “suspect in custody”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.