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
While officials have stressed that dangerous criminals are being targeted, federal data show that many detainees have no criminal record at all.
—
Martha McHardy, MSNBC Newsweek, 17 Sep. 2025
The New York Immigration Coalition, one of the advocacy groups representing the detainees, said the video confirmed the facility was being used as a detention center rather than a short-term holding center.
—Laura Romero, ABC News, 17 Sep. 2025
The corpses of detainees fill the mass graves that are still being uncovered today.
—Robin Yassin-Kassab, Time, 17 Sep. 2025
Instead, she was booked at the jail as a pretrial detainee.
—Rosalio Ahumada, Sacbee.com, 17 Sep. 2025
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Martha McHardy, MSNBC Newsweek, 17 Sep. 2025
The New York Immigration Coalition, one of the advocacy groups representing the detainees, said the video confirmed the facility was being used as a detention center rather than a short-term holding center.
—Laura Romero, ABC News, 17 Sep. 2025
The corpses of detainees fill the mass graves that are still being uncovered today.
—Robin Yassin-Kassab, Time, 17 Sep. 2025
Instead, she was booked at the jail as a pretrial detainee.
—Rosalio Ahumada, Sacbee.com, 17 Sep. 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 18 Sep. 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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