house of detention

noun

A prison, especially a temporary one.

Similar
detention homedetention housedetention camp
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Meanings

nounhouse of detention (plural houses of detention)

plural houses of detention

  1. A prison, especially a temporary one.

    Mama looked down and spit on the ground / Every time my name gets mentioned / The papa say "Oy, if I get that boy / I'm gonna stick him in the house of detention"

    1972, Paul Simon, “Me and Julio Down by the Schoolyard”, in Paul Simon

Synonyms & antonyms

nounan institution where juvenile offenders can be held temporarily (usually under the supervision of a juvenile court)

Similar
detention homedetention housedetention camp
Broader
correctional institution
Also see
detention homejail

Synonym sets from Open English WordNet, CC BY 4.0.

Origin

From house + of + detention.

Full word history & related roots →
Cite this entry
APA

house of detention. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 5, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/house%20of%20detention

MLA

“house of detention.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/house%20of%20detention. Accessed November 5, 2026.

Chicago

WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “house of detention,” accessed November 5, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/house%20of%20detention.

Source: house of detention on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.