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
Yost argued that the 2007 opinion did not take into account other types of civil detentions or agreements with federal immigration authorities.
—
Victoria Moorwood, The Enquirer, 30 Aug. 2025
Immigration rights advocates have vehemently argued that the Trump administration violated Abrego Garcia and other detainees' right to due process by detaining and deporting them without giving them a chance to contest their detentions in court.
—Sonam Sheth
anna Commander, MSNBC Newsweek, 29 Aug. 2025
Bell appeared on felony child endangerment charges on Wednesday before a judge, who denied a detention petition and allowed the woman to go home pending trial following the boy’s death.
—William Lee, Chicago Tribune, 28 Aug. 2025
Last week, he was released from pretrial detention but then was re-arrested by ICE agents on Monday in Baltimore.
—Scott Neuman, NPR, 27 Aug. 2025
See All Example Sentences for detention
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show current usage.
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Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors.
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Victoria Moorwood, The Enquirer, 30 Aug. 2025
Immigration rights advocates have vehemently argued that the Trump administration violated Abrego Garcia and other detainees' right to due process by detaining and deporting them without giving them a chance to contest their detentions in court.
—Sonam Sheth
anna Commander, MSNBC Newsweek, 29 Aug. 2025
Bell appeared on felony child endangerment charges on Wednesday before a judge, who denied a detention petition and allowed the woman to go home pending trial following the boy’s death.
—William Lee, Chicago Tribune, 28 Aug. 2025
Last week, he was released from pretrial detention but then was re-arrested by ICE agents on Monday in Baltimore.
—Scott Neuman, NPR, 27 Aug. 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 4 Sep. 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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