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
It is believed the deal calls for Hamas to release nearly 50 hostages, living and dead, and for Israel to free nearly 2,000 Palestinian prisoners and detainees.
—
Greg Myre, NPR, 9 Oct. 2025
But there’s a video of these detainees running out of the jail in the middle of the night.
—Amanda Castro, MSNBC Newsweek, 8 Oct. 2025
The film opens with a celebratory raid on an ICE facility to free detainees, and shows government agents coldly executing unarmed suspects and sending an undercover agent into a peaceful protest to throw a Molotov cocktail to justify increased force.
—James Hibberd, HollywoodReporter, 7 Oct. 2025
The Marion County Adult Detention Center has held more than 800 ICE detainees in 2025 through mid-September, most of whom are men from Mexico or Central America, according to records obtained by IndyStar.
—Jordan Smith, IndyStar, 7 Oct. 2025
See All Example Sentences for detainee
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Greg Myre, NPR, 9 Oct. 2025
But there’s a video of these detainees running out of the jail in the middle of the night.
—Amanda Castro, MSNBC Newsweek, 8 Oct. 2025
The film opens with a celebratory raid on an ICE facility to free detainees, and shows government agents coldly executing unarmed suspects and sending an undercover agent into a peaceful protest to throw a Molotov cocktail to justify increased force.
—James Hibberd, HollywoodReporter, 7 Oct. 2025
The Marion County Adult Detention Center has held more than 800 ICE detainees in 2025 through mid-September, most of whom are men from Mexico or Central America, according to records obtained by IndyStar.
—Jordan Smith, IndyStar, 7 Oct. 2025
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 Oct. 2025.
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
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