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retenido

retained

adjective rreh-teh-NEE-doh Rare

Also means

held back

Usage Note

Retenido is the past participle of retener ('to retain, to withhold') used adjectivally. In legal or police contexts it means 'detained' without a formal arrest: fue retenido para interrogatorio ('he was held for questioning'). In finance, impuesto retenido refers to withheld tax. The noun form is retención.

Examples

"El sospechoso fue retenido por la policía durante horas."

Natural Translation

The suspect was held by the police for hours.

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