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
According to the civil association Foro Penal, at the time of the announcement there were just over 860 political detainees in Venezuela.
—
Miami Herald, 8 Jan. 2026
Many of these detainees are held in El Helicoide.
—Uriel Blanco, CNN Money, 8 Jan. 2026
The victims were detainees, including Garcia.
—Marvin Hurst, CBS News, 8 Jan. 2026
Now, people worried that detainees could be used as human shields.
—Stephania Taladrid, New Yorker, 7 Jan. 2026
See All Example Sentences for detainee
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.
Miami Herald, 8 Jan. 2026
Many of these detainees are held in El Helicoide.
—Uriel Blanco, CNN Money, 8 Jan. 2026
The victims were detainees, including Garcia.
—Marvin Hurst, CBS News, 8 Jan. 2026
Now, people worried that detainees could be used as human shields.
—Stephania Taladrid, New Yorker, 7 Jan. 2026
See All Example Sentences for detainee
Cite this Entry
“Detainee.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/detainee. Accessed 10 Jan. 2026.
Copy CitationLegal 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
Love words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
Share