From Longman Dictionary of Contemporary Englishcustodycus‧to‧dy /ˈkʌstədi/ ●○○ noun [uncountable] 1 SSCthe right to take care of a child, given to one of their parents when they have divorcedcustody of He got custody of his son after the divorce. The mother is usually awarded custody (=legally allowed to have custody). a dispute over who should have custody of the children The couple will retain joint custody (=they will both have custody) of their daughters. Allen is fighting a bitter custody battle over his three children.2 SCJwhen someone is kept in prison until they go to court, because the police think they have committed a crime The committee is looking at alternatives to custody.in custody the death of a man in custodyhold/keep somebody in custody A man is being held in police custody in connection with the murder.remand somebody in custody British English (=send someone to prison to wait until they go to court) A man has been remanded in custody charged with the murder of a schoolgirl. She was taken into custody as a suspect.3 formalLOOK AFTER somebody when someone is responsible for keeping and looking after something Managers are responsible for the safe custody and retention of records. The collection of art books is now in the custody of the university.COLLOCATIONS – Meaning 1: the right to take care of a child, given to one of their parents when they have divorcedverbshave custody of somebodyAnna has custody of their six-year-old daughter.get custodyShe was determined to prevent Mike getting custody of Adam.seek custody formal (=try to get custody)Allen is seeking custody of his two children.be given/awarded custody (=be legally allowed to have it)The court will decide who will be given custody.win custody (=be given custody)Their mother is likely to win custody.claim custody formal (=say that you want to have it)Henry has claimed custody of his son.ADJECTIVES/NOUN + custodyjoint custody (=both parents have it)After the breakup, the parents were awarded joint custody.sole custody (=only one parent has it)The mother got sole custody because of the father's violence.child custodyMatters of child custody are dealt with by the courts.custody + NOUNa custody battle/dispute (=a legal argument about who will have custody)He is fighting a bitter custody battle for his children. COLLOCATIONS – Meaning 2: when someone is kept in prison until they go to court, because the police think they have committed a crimeverbsbe held/kept in custodyThe men have been held in custody since they were arrested.be remanded in custody British English (=be kept in prison until you go to court)Davis has been remanded in custody on a burglary charge.take somebody into custodyThree armed FBI agents took Coleman into custody.place somebody in custody (also put somebody into custody)Few young people are placed in custody.remain in custodyThe judge ruled that Marsh should remain in custody until his sentence.be released from custodySeventy-five percent of young people released from custody re-offend within two years.ADJECTIVES/NOUN + custody police/military custodyThere have been several cases in which people have died in police custody.protective custody (=custody that is meant to keep someone safe)The rebel leader has been placed in protective custody.
Examples from the Corpus
custody• Once an item is introduced in a trial, court clerks assume custody of it, locking it in a courthouse cabinet.• Fearing her uncle would gain custody of the child, she went into hiding.• If you leave me, I'll get custody of the kids, because everyone knows you're sick.• She had custody of their three-year-old son Scott.• The father has custody in only 10% of cases.• He was remanded in custody for seven days.• I assume that in each case time in custody before trial is counted as part of the period before the first review.• Three suspects were taken into custody and police were questioning them Friday morning.• Tony insists he will seek joint custody of Joshua.• I loved my three girls, and losing custody was the most traumatic thing that has ever happened to me.• Waltman's wife had been granted temporary custody of their child after her husband's arrest.• On Wednesday, he was in the custody of federal authorities in Baton Rouge.awarded custody• A New York judge awarded custody of the boy to Leo in 1994 and allowed Heard to see him every other weekend.• Eventually, in January 1989, she was awarded custody of their daughters and the earl was granted access.hold/keep somebody in custody• The defendant will be kept in custody until the appeal.• McCullough will be kept in custody until her trial on May 3rd.• A man has been arrested in connection with the murder and is being held in police custody.• The desire to persist in interrogation is a valid reason for keeping a suspect in custody for thirty-six hours and indeed beyond.• They kept me in custody overnight.• But prosecuting lawyers went to great lengths to keep Hagans in custody.• We parents would hold these gifts in custody, and in time, would pass them on to our children.in the custody of• The twins were placed in the custody of their grandparents.• He may be returned to Texas this week, but he will remain in the custody of federal officers.• On Wednesday, he was in the custody of federal authorities in Baton Rouge.• They were in the custody of the court beadle who lived some distance away.From Longman Business Dictionarycustodycus‧to‧dy /ˈkʌstədi/ noun [uncountable]1LAW in/into custody kept in prison by police until you go to court, because the police think you are guiltyA man is being held in police custody in connection with the murder.He was arrested and taken into custody.2FINANCE when a financial institution looks after someone’s share certificates, money, assets etc, or invests money for themThe new subsidiary will offer custody services.The shares are in a custody account. → safe custodyOrigin custody (1400-1500) Latin custodia “guarding”, from custos “person who guards” 