detention
noun
de·ten·tion
di-ˈten-chən 
1
: the act or fact of detaining or holding back
especially
: a holding in custody
2
: the state of being detained
especially
: a period of temporary custody prior to disposition by a court
Synonyms
Examples of detention in a Sentence
the detention of suspected terrorists
The jail is only used for brief detentions.
They both got three detentions this year.
He got detention for being late to class.
Recent Examples on the Web
Funding for border security measures, including additional detention beds and Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents, would increase by $175 billion.
—
Catie Edmondson, New York Times, 19 Feb. 2025
One reason for the extended pre-trial detention, Powell’s lawyer Bernard Alan Seidler said, was that Powell insisted on changing his lawyers at least four times.
—Graham Rayman, New York Daily News, 19 Feb. 2025
News of Byers’ detention comes as Marc Fogel, a U.S. citizen who was detained on drug charges in Russia four years ago, was released on Tuesday in exchange for Russian prisoner Alexander Vinnik, who had been detained by the U.S. government on cryptocurrency fraud charges.
—Greg Norman, Fox News, 15 Feb. 2025
President Trump has issued a host of executive orders declaring war on immigrants in this country, including the prospect of mass detention and imprisonment at Guantanamo Bay.
—James M. Purcell, The Mercury News, 15 Feb. 2025
See all Example Sentences for detention 
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.
Catie Edmondson, New York Times, 19 Feb. 2025
One reason for the extended pre-trial detention, Powell’s lawyer Bernard Alan Seidler said, was that Powell insisted on changing his lawyers at least four times.
—Graham Rayman, New York Daily News, 19 Feb. 2025
News of Byers’ detention comes as Marc Fogel, a U.S. citizen who was detained on drug charges in Russia four years ago, was released on Tuesday in exchange for Russian prisoner Alexander Vinnik, who had been detained by the U.S. government on cryptocurrency fraud charges.
—Greg Norman, Fox News, 15 Feb. 2025
President Trump has issued a host of executive orders declaring war on immigrants in this country, including the prospect of mass detention and imprisonment at Guantanamo Bay.
—James M. Purcell, The Mercury News, 15 Feb. 2025
See all Example Sentences for detention
Dictionary Entries Near detention
Cite this Entry
“Detention.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/detention. Accessed 22 Feb. 2025.
Copy CitationKids Definition
detention
noun
de·ten·tion
di-ˈten-chən
: the act of detaining : the state of being detained: as
a
: temporary custody before a trial
b
: the punishment of being kept in after school
Love words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
Share