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

None of the detainees who have been contacted have been provided any information in writing from immigration authorities, the legal group said. — Arkansas Online, 6 Nov. 2026

The six corrections officers in late September pleaded no contest to several charges, including perjury, failure to report use of force and battery on a detainee, which are all misdemeanors. — Grethel Aguila, Miami Herald, 3 Nov. 2026

In Louisiana, another Afghan national, Khaled Khaleeq, sought emergency intervention after learning through news reports and conversations with other detainees that he might be deported to Pakistan or Afghanistan. — Nicole Sganga, CBS News, 3 Nov. 2026

But the conditions immigration detainees face at the Miami Correctional Facility are worse, said Katie Hickey, an attorney working on the case with the ACLU of Illinois. — Laura Rodríguez Presa, Chicago Tribune, 2 Nov. 2026

Word History

First Known Use

circa 1928, in the meaning defined above

Rhymes for detainee

• agree
• allee
• banshee
• beastly
• bibi
• bowsprit
• carefree
• cerci
• chablis
• cowpea
• crappie
• crappy

Legal 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