Definition of detainee
: a person held in custody especially for political reasons
From the M-W Editors
Recent Examples of detainee from the Web
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North Korea also stages news conferences with foreign detainees who confess to hostile acts against the country, and some foreigners have said after their release that their declarations had been coerced.
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One advantage for the county is that ICE would pay a fixed amount per bed even if there aren’t enough detainees to fill all 50 every day, County Commissioner Charlie Howell said.
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His lawsuit is one of several filed in recent months by former detainees complaining of safety and health issues at the troubled detention center.
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This isn’t the first time that guards have been accused of supplying drugs to detainees at the detention center.
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U.S. forces send questions to the Emirati forces holding the detainees, which then send files and videos with answers, said Yemeni Brig.
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Attorneys for the Iraqis have been filing appeals for the detainees in immigration and local county courts.
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Over the past several years, a slew of rich and powerful Chinese have gone missing only to resurface as detainees, and later be convicted on corruption charges.
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In Moscow, some of the detainees had to spend the night on benches in a police courtyard because there was no room for them inside the precinct.
These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'detainee.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
First Known Use of detainee
circa 1928
DETAINEE Defined for English Language Learners
detainee
playDefinition of detainee for English Language Learners
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: a person who is being kept in a prison especially for political reasons : a person who is being detained
Law Dictionary
detainee
playLegal Definition of detainee
: a person who is detained; especially : a person held in custody prior to trial or hearing
Learn More about detainee
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See words that rhyme with detainee Nglish: Translation of detainee for Spanish speakers Britannica English: Translation of detainee for Arabic speakers
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