Wiktionary
n. A cell in a police station or courthouse in which a prisoner is held temporarily, pending charge, trial or sentencing
WordNet
n. a jail in a courthouse where accused persons can be confined during a trial
Usage examples of "holding cell".
That was a good way to get bogged down in a holding cell and dead.
Pod A, Cell 25 is Beast, who will be moved to a different holding cell in several hours.
GEORGE POTTER is sitting on the bunk in the third holding cell down a short corridor that smells of piss and disinfectant.
And above all else, it was important for him to remember that he would have long since starved in his Phoenix holding cell if it hadn't been for Flagg.
When the detectives were through with their questions, they took Jessie to a holding cell.
It was a tiny facility, meant more to be a temporary holding cell than an actual jail.