protective custody

NOUN

arrest

Synonyms

STRONGEST

capture detention imprisonment incarceration jailing

STRONG

accommodation apprehension appropriation bag bust captivity collar commitment confinement constraint crimp drop fall gaff glom grab heat hook mitt nab nail nick nip pickle pinch pull restraining sequestering snare sweep

WEAK

booby trap pick up preventive custody pull in run-in

Antonyms

STRONGEST

freedom release

STRONG

liberation refusal rise

WEAK

activation encouragement letting go

NOUN

house arrest

Synonyms

WEAK

close arrest preventive custody purdah

Example Sentences

Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.

He narrowly escaped and was placed under protective custody.

From BBC • May 12, 2026

Now he’d be sent to the hospital, stitched up, placed in protective custody, and sent to another prison.

From Slate • Oct. 8, 2025

Mr De Wet will be taken into protective custody until the end of the trial.

From BBC • Aug. 7, 2025

Mills wants to change state law to allow law enforcement to go directly to a judge to seek a protective custody warrant to take a dangerous person into custody to remove weapons.

From Seattle Times • Mar. 6, 2024

Half of the inmates in the Box, as it turned out—all thirty on the upper floor—were not disciplinary cases but men under protective custody, of which there were two kinds.

From "Newjack: Guarding Sing Sing" by Ted Conover

protective custody

Example Sentences

Related Words