detainee
noun
de·tain·ee
di-ˌtā-ˈnē 
ˌdē-
: a person held in custody especially for political reasons
Examples of detainee in a Sentence
Recent Examples on the Web
These included conspiracy to mete out cruel and inhuman treatment to civilian detainees, including U.S. citizens, during the Syrian civil war that began in 2011.
—
Kanishka Singh, USA TODAY, 13 Dec. 2024
Key Background Thousands of detainees fled Syrian prisons this week after Bashar al-Assad’s government was overthrown over the weekend.
—Ty Roush, Forbes, 13 Dec. 2024
At the Court of Justice in Damascus, which was stormed by the rebels to free detainees, Judge Khitam Haddad, an aide to the justice minister in the outgoing government, said Sunday that judges were ready to resume work quickly.
—Sarah El Deeb, arkansasonline.com, 10 Dec. 2024
The release of detainees underscores the deep scars left by the Assad regime's reign of terror.
—Aron Solomon, Newsweek, 9 Dec. 2024
See all Example Sentences for detainee 
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
show current usage.
Read More
Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors.
Send us feedback.
Kanishka Singh, USA TODAY, 13 Dec. 2024
Key Background Thousands of detainees fled Syrian prisons this week after Bashar al-Assad’s government was overthrown over the weekend.
—Ty Roush, Forbes, 13 Dec. 2024
At the Court of Justice in Damascus, which was stormed by the rebels to free detainees, Judge Khitam Haddad, an aide to the justice minister in the outgoing government, said Sunday that judges were ready to resume work quickly.
—Sarah El Deeb, arkansasonline.com, 10 Dec. 2024
The release of detainees underscores the deep scars left by the Assad regime's reign of terror.
—Aron Solomon, Newsweek, 9 Dec. 2024
See all Example Sentences for detainee
Dictionary Entries Near detainee
Cite this Entry
“Detainee.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/detainee. Accessed 22 Dec. 2024.
Copy CitationLegal Definition
detainee
noun
de·tain·ee
di-ˌtā-ˈnē
: a person who is detained
especially
: a person held in custody prior to trial or hearing
Love words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
Share