detention center
noun
1
: a place where people who have entered a country illegally are kept for a period of time
2
: a place where people who have committed crimes are kept as punishment
She spent several months in a detention center for women.
a juvenile detention center
Examples of detention center in a Sentence
Recent Examples on the Web
The workers had been held at an immigration detention center in Folkston, 285 miles (460 kilometers) southeast of Atlanta.
—
Preston Fore, Fortune, 11 Sep. 2025
Lawyers for the plaintiffs said the panel’s ruling could stall legal proceedings on the case unrelated to the judge’s injunction on the NEPA matter and allow the detention center to operate for months, possibly a year, without any legal scrutiny in the federal district court.
—Jay Weaver, Miami Herald, 9 Sep. 2025
Dating from the Civil War, Angel Island has served as a defensive position, way station, detention center, and launch point for thousands.
—Don Sproul, Oc Register, 9 Sep. 2025
Council Republicans are urging state leaders to prioritize the reopening of the city's youth detention center, which closed in 2019.
—Monroe Trombly, Louisville Courier Journal, 9 Sep. 2025
See All Example Sentences for detention center
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Preston Fore, Fortune, 11 Sep. 2025
Lawyers for the plaintiffs said the panel’s ruling could stall legal proceedings on the case unrelated to the judge’s injunction on the NEPA matter and allow the detention center to operate for months, possibly a year, without any legal scrutiny in the federal district court.
—Jay Weaver, Miami Herald, 9 Sep. 2025
Dating from the Civil War, Angel Island has served as a defensive position, way station, detention center, and launch point for thousands.
—Don Sproul, Oc Register, 9 Sep. 2025
Council Republicans are urging state leaders to prioritize the reopening of the city's youth detention center, which closed in 2019.
—Monroe Trombly, Louisville Courier Journal, 9 Sep. 2025
See All Example Sentences for detention center
Cite this Entry
“Detention center.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/detention%20center. Accessed 18 Sep. 2025.
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