detention

noun

de·​ten·​tion di-ˈten-chən 

1

: the act or fact of detaining or holding back

especially : a holding in custody

the detention of suspects

2

: the state of being detained

Some protesters were held in detention.

especially : a period of temporary custody prior to disposition by a court

3

: a punishment in which a student is required to stay at school for a period of time beyond normal class hours

Synonyms of detention

• imprisonment
• incarceration

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

Amid the confinement and the sadness of being away from his family, soccer allowed Ayón to forge great friendships like the one with Andrade, who spent a year and a half in immigration detention at the same center, McFarland’s Central Valley Annex. — Albinson Linares, NBC news, 18 July 2026

Federal authorities have subjected record numbers of immigrants to mandatory detention, including in inhuman and degrading conditions, while gutting internal oversight mechanisms. — Minky Worden, Forbes.com, 17 July 2026

The visual artist staged several hunger strikes while in prison to protest his detention. — Nora Gámez Torres, Miami Herald, 17 July 2026

When Shtilerman refused to hand them over, he was arrested and spent the next two years in Butyrka, a crowded pretrial detention facility near the center of Moscow. — Simon Shuster, The Atlantic, 17 July 2026

Word History

Etymology

Middle English detencion, from Anglo-French or Latin; Anglo-French, from Latin detention-, detentio, from detinēre to detain

First Known Use

15th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Phrases Containing detention

• detention center
• detention home
• in detention

Rhymes for detention

• attention
• contention
• convention
• declension
• dimension
• dissension
• distension
• extension
• intension
• invention
• laurentian
• prehension

Kids 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

Legal Definition

detention

noun

de·​ten·​tion

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 a trial or hearing see also preventive detention