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
Whatever the state gathers—whether the innocuous, the personal, or the intensely political—could in turn be used for arrests, detentions, fines, disappearances, and much worse.
—
Justin Sherman, The Atlantic, 11 Oct. 2025
The raid resulted in the detention of more than 300 Korean nationals, who were eventually returned to their native country.
—David Zimmermann, The Washington Examiner, 11 Oct. 2025
The student was taken to the Wautoma Police Department, then was transferred to a juvenile detention facility with the help of Waushara County Youth Justice, according to the department.
—Kelli Arseneau, jsonline.com, 10 Oct. 2025
Miranda Monge has since been moved multiple times within the ICE detention system, his wife said.
—Billal Rahman, MSNBC Newsweek, 10 Oct. 2025
See All Example Sentences for detention
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Justin Sherman, The Atlantic, 11 Oct. 2025
The raid resulted in the detention of more than 300 Korean nationals, who were eventually returned to their native country.
—David Zimmermann, The Washington Examiner, 11 Oct. 2025
The student was taken to the Wautoma Police Department, then was transferred to a juvenile detention facility with the help of Waushara County Youth Justice, according to the department.
—Kelli Arseneau, jsonline.com, 10 Oct. 2025
Miranda Monge has since been moved multiple times within the ICE detention system, his wife said.
—Billal Rahman, MSNBC Newsweek, 10 Oct. 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 19 Oct. 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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