Synonyms of detained

detained 1 of 2

adjective

as in delayed

Related Words

• delayed
• postponed
• delinquent
• behind
• tardy
• belated
• late
• dragging
• overdue
• lagging
• latish
• unhurried
• behindhand
• laggard
• dilatory
• sluggish
• poky
• dawdling
• slow
• dallying
• dillydallying

Dissimilar Words

• early
• premature
• precocious
• untimely
• timely
• opportune
• unseasonable
• inopportune
• prompt
• seasonable
• punctual

detained

2 of 2

verb

past tense of detain

1

as in arrested

to take or keep (someone) in confinement by authority of law

Police detained the suspect.

Related Words

• arrested
• apprehended
• seized
• imprisoned
• jailed
• incarcerated
• restrained
• confined
• interned
• committed
• restricted
• collared
• nabbed
• captured
• ran in
• pinched
• locked (up)
• nicked
• limited
• held
• pulled in
• constrained
• shut
• picked up
• nailed
• busted
• grabbed
• barred
• snatched
• trapped
• jugged
• immured
• handcuffed
• bound
• caught
• snapped (up)
• gated
• shackled
• grappled
• remanded
• snared
• landed
• fettered
• rearrested
• hooked
• bagged
• manacled
• got
• enchained
• trammeled

Dissimilar Words

• released
• freed
• liberated
• emancipated
• sprang
• loosened
• loosed
• discharged
• unbound
• unchained

2

as in slowed

to keep (someone or something) from proceeding or progressing

She sent word that she had been unavoidably detained.

The plane was detained for hours due to inclement weather.

Related Words

• delayed
• slowed
• blocked
• set back
• suspended
• kept
• retarded
• impeded
• hindered
• stalled
• halted
• hesitated
• blockaded
• baffled
• obstructed
• paused
• balked
• snagged
• stemmed
• held up
• held
• held back
• extended
• prolonged
• arrested
• clogged
• dammed
• stretched (out)
• lengthened
• deferred
• protracted
• laid over
• remitted
• put over
• held over
• terminated
• put off
• cut off
• shelved
• repressed
• concluded
• bottlenecked
• ended
• discontinued
• held off (on)
• stopped
• checked
• turned back
• suppressed
• stunted
• stayed
• stilled
• reined (in)
• pulled up
• caught
• brought up
• drew up
• squashed
• called
• squelched
• choked off
• stanched
• fetched up

Dissimilar Words

• continued
• carried on
• persisted
• kept (on)
• marched
• moved
• kept up
• proceeded
• advanced
• progressed
• ran on
• went along
• pushed
• stirred
• fared
• drove
• actuated
• followed through (with)
• impelled
• spurred
• propelled
• wended
• goaded
• budged

Example Sentences

Recent Examples of detained

Verb

An 18-year-old accused of seriously injuring a pedestrian while allegedly doing car stunts in New Haven over the summer was detained by Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents on Tuesday. — Justin Muszynski, Hartford Courant, 13 Nov. 2026

The day before he was detained, Juan Mendieta was celebrating his wife’s birthday. — Eleanor Nash, Kansas City Star, 13 Nov. 2026

Two women are dead, and a man was detained for questioning after a shooting in Pompano Beach on Thursday night, according to the Broward Sheriff's Office. — Joan Murray, CBS News, 13 Nov. 2026

The wife of the New York man whose viral pet squirrel Peanut was seized and euthanized by wildlife officials in 2024 has been detained by immigration authorities. — Bonny Chu, FOXNews.com, 12 Nov. 2026

Kinan Baker was detained by Israeli forces last year from a nearby Syrian village in a middle-of-the-night raid of his home. — Kareem Chehayeb, Los Angeles Times, 12 Nov. 2026

Others reported that people with pending immigration cases had been detained. — Michael Butler, Miami Herald, 12 Nov. 2026

Parizek said officers responded within three minutes and quickly captured the suspect, who was detained along a nearby bike path without resistance. — ABC News, 5 Nov. 2026

Gatti and Hunt had also been detained by city police while observing ICE enforcement in south Sacramento. — Jennah Pendleton, Sacbee.com, 5 Nov. 2026