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

Gilman, who was recently designated as a wrongful detainee, was not part of a prisoner exchange, and no other concessions were provided as part of his release, according to the State Department spokesperson. — Mariam Khan, ABC News, 11 Aug. 2026

Global Reach has been working to free him and other American detainees abroad. — CBS News, 11 Aug. 2026

But, when Ukrainian negotiators push for more detainees, their Russian counterparts tend to respond coolly. — Joshua Yaffa, New Yorker, 10 Aug. 2026

This high-security prison is a sprawling complex that houses thousands of detainees, including notorious gangsters, terrorists and prominent white-collar offenders. — Rhea Mogul, CNN Money, 9 Aug. 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