Words / D / Law

detainer

noun/dɪˈteɪnər/

C2CEFR level
90/100Rarity: very rare
TechnicalRegister

A formal request that a jail hold a prisoner for another jurisdiction once his current term ends.

The immigration detainer means he will not walk free even after making bail here.

Similar: hold

Topic: Criminal law in Legal English

Rarity runs from 0 (a word everyone knows) to 100 (almost never seen outside specialist or literary writing). Level is the word's real difficulty on the CEFR scale, from A1 to C2.

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More law words: Criminal law