custody
C1Formal, Legal, Journalistic, Official
Definition
Meaning
The protective care, guardianship, or legal responsibility for someone or something.
A state of being detained or held by police, typically after arrest and before a court appearance; the state of being imprisoned; also, the safekeeping of physical assets or documents.
Linguistics
Semantic Notes
Primarily a noun. Its meaning spans from neutral/positive (protective care, legal guardianship) to negative (detention, imprisonment), heavily dependent on context. The legal sense is dominant.
Dialectal Variation
British vs American Usage
Differences
No major semantic differences. The phrase 'taken into custody' is standard in both. Minor lexical preference: BrE may use 'custody suite' (police station area for detainees) more frequently; AmE favors 'holding cell'.
Connotations
Identical. Strongly associated with family law (child custody) and criminal law.
Frequency
Equally frequent in legal and news contexts in both variants.
Vocabulary
Collocations
Grammar
Valency Patterns
have custody of [sb/sth]be in custodytake [sb] into custodyaward/grant custody to [sb]hold [sth] in custodyVocabulary
Synonyms
Strong
Neutral
Weak
Vocabulary
Antonyms
Phrases
Idioms & Phrases
- “A battle for custody”
- “To be held in custody”
- “To gain/lose custody”
Usage
Context Usage
Business
Rare. May refer to the safekeeping of assets or documents, e.g., 'The deeds are held in custody by the bank.'
Academic
Used in legal, sociological, and criminological studies, e.g., 'The study examined the impact of parental custody arrangements on child development.'
Everyday
Common in news reports and discussions about family or crime, e.g., 'He was granted custody of the children.'
Technical
Core legal term in family law and criminal procedure. Also in finance: 'custody services' for holding securities.
Examples
By Part of Speech
verb
British English
- N/A - 'custody' is not used as a verb. The verb is 'detain' or 'take into custody'.
American English
- N/A - 'custody' is not used as a verb. The verb is 'detain' or 'take into custody'.
adverb
British English
- N/A - No direct adverb. 'Custodially' is extremely rare and non-standard.
American English
- N/A - No direct adverb. 'Custodially' is extremely rare and non-standard.
adjective
British English
- The custody officer read him his rights.
- They attended a custody hearing.
American English
- The custody officer read him his Miranda rights.
- They are in a custody battle.
Examples
By CEFR Level
- The mother has custody of her baby.
- The man is in police custody.
- After the divorce, they got joint custody of their son.
- The suspect was taken into custody for questioning.
- The court awarded sole custody to the father, citing the mother's unstable living conditions.
- He was remanded in custody pending his trial next month.
- The protracted custody battle took a significant emotional toll on all parties involved.
- The bank offers specialised custody services for high-value investment portfolios.
Learning
Memory Aids
Mnemonic
Think of a CUSTomDY guarding something important. A 'custom die' (custody) is stamped to officially guard or hold something secure.
Conceptual Metaphor
CUSTODY IS POSSESSION (often temporary or legally bounded). CUSTODY IS A CONTAINER (being 'in' custody).
Watch out
Common Pitfalls
Translation Traps (for Russian speakers)
- Avoid confusing with 'customs' (таможня).
- Do not translate as 'custodian' (смотритель, хранитель) – that's a related but different noun.
- The Russian word 'куст' (bush) is a false friend.
Common Mistakes
- Using 'custody' as a verb (incorrect: 'They custodied the suspect.' Correct: 'They took the suspect into custody.').
- Confusing 'custody' (care/detention) with 'custodian' (a person who has custody).
Practice
Quiz
In which context is the word 'custody' LEAST likely to be used?
FAQ
Frequently Asked Questions
They are often used interchangeably in family law, but 'guardianship' can be a broader legal concept covering both the care of a person and management of their estate, sometimes appointed by a court for minors or incapacitated adults. 'Custody' more specifically refers to daily care, control, and decision-making for a child.
Yes. In contexts like 'child custody' or 'the custody of a treasured artefact', it implies protective care and responsibility, which is neutral or positive. The negative connotation arises mainly in criminal contexts ('police custody').
It is primarily an uncountable noun (e.g., 'She was given custody'). However, it can be used in a countable way in informal legal talk to refer to specific instances or types (e.g., 'The two custodies were very different').
The most common error is trying to use it as a verb (e.g., 'The police custodied him'). Correct usage requires phrasal verbs or other constructions: 'The police took him into custody' or 'The police detained him'.
Collections
Part of a collection
Crime and Justice
B1 · 46 words · Vocabulary for law, crime and the justice system.
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