detention
noun
de·ten·tion
di-ˈten-chən 
1
: the act or fact of detaining or holding back
especially
: a holding in custody
2
: the state of being detained
especially
: a period of temporary custody prior to disposition by a court
Examples of detention in a Sentence
the detention of suspected terrorists
The jail is only used for brief detentions.
They both got three detentions this year.
He got detention for being late to class.
Recent Examples on the Web
Trump wants to deport 1 million people annually, a dramatic increase requiring a vast, sophisticated and expensive targeting, detention and removal operation.
—
Trevor Hughes, USA Today, 3 May 2025
On the night of April 21, Kling picked up his friends and then took multiple wooden pallets, which were outside of a recycling center, and drove to a wooded area, prosecutors said at Kling's detention hearing Friday.
—Emily Shapiro, ABC News, 2 May 2025
Gomez's detention comes amid an immigration crackdown under the Trump administration, during which people with all kinds of immigration statuses, including those with valid documentation, such as green cards or visas, have been detained and face legal jeopardy.
—Amanda Castro
hannah Parry, MSNBC Newsweek, 1 May 2025
Trump loyalists have doubled down on Garcia’s detention, in part pointing to his tattoos.
—Ali Breland, The Atlantic, 1 May 2025
See All Example Sentences for detention
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Trevor Hughes, USA Today, 3 May 2025
On the night of April 21, Kling picked up his friends and then took multiple wooden pallets, which were outside of a recycling center, and drove to a wooded area, prosecutors said at Kling's detention hearing Friday.
—Emily Shapiro, ABC News, 2 May 2025
Gomez's detention comes amid an immigration crackdown under the Trump administration, during which people with all kinds of immigration statuses, including those with valid documentation, such as green cards or visas, have been detained and face legal jeopardy.
—Amanda Castro
hannah Parry, MSNBC Newsweek, 1 May 2025
Trump loyalists have doubled down on Garcia’s detention, in part pointing to his tattoos.
—Ali Breland, The Atlantic, 1 May 2025
See All Example Sentences for detention
Cite this Entry
“Detention.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/detention. Accessed 5 May. 2025.
Copy CitationKids Definition
detention
noun
de·ten·tion
di-ˈten-chən
: the act of detaining : the state of being detained: as
a
: temporary custody before a trial
b
: the punishment of being kept in after school
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