detainee

noun

de·​tain·​ee di-ˌtā-ˈnē How to pronounce detainee (audio)
ˌdē-
: a person held in custody especially for political reasons

Examples of detainee in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web
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.
Images of Iraqi detainees being stripped naked and abused, published by the media, shocked the world. Ben Wedeman, CNN Money, 5 Nov. 2025 Translate all documents given to detainees into Spanish and refrain from misrepresenting their contents. Gabe Whisnant, MSNBC Newsweek, 5 Nov. 2025 State and federal officials recently announced that Miami Correctional will house ICE detainees in a partnership that could bring in hundreds of millions of dollars in federal funds. Kristine Phillips, IndyStar, 4 Nov. 2025 Tabor said the Detention Center still sees detainees who test positive for covid-19, though not in the large numbers that were reported during the height of the pandemic in 2021. Arkansas Online, 3 Nov. 2025 See All Example Sentences for detainee

Word History

First Known Use

circa 1928, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of detainee was circa 1928

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Cite this Entry

“Detainee.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/detainee. Accessed 8 Nov. 2025.

Legal Definition

detainee

noun
de·​tain·​ee di-ˌtā-ˈnē How to pronounce detainee (audio)
: a person who is detained
especially : a person held in custody prior to trial or hearing

More from Merriam-Webster on detainee

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
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