1
as in arrested
to take or keep (someone) in confinement by authority of law
Police detained the suspect.
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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.
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as in delayed
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Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of detained
Rebecca Schneid, Time, 26 Oct. 2025
And a chance encounter with ICE in August landed Barojas Solano in detention for six weeks, upending his legal process and leaving them terrified that he could be detained again.
—Lauren Villagran, USA Today, 26 Oct. 2025
All three were detained in the country's capital Tbilisi, and temporary residences in the city and Batumi, in western Georgia, were searched by authorities.
—Ellie Cook, MSNBC Newsweek, 26 Oct. 2025
On Thursday, immigration authorities detained a Hayward resident near the Alameda County courthouse in Dublin, a local nonprofit that tracks ICE activity said on social media.
—Shomik Mukherjee, Mercury News, 26 Oct. 2025
After first being detained in New Jersey, Gómez was awakened in the night and flown to an ICE facility in Michigan on August 19, his cousin said.
—Zoe Sottile, CNN Money, 25 Oct. 2025
Two other men were also detained at the scene, according to Zak.
—Rey Covarrubias Jr, AZCentral.com, 25 Oct. 2025
The man, whose identity has not yet been made public, is being detained under the country's Mental Health Act, following an assessment by medical professionals in custody.
—Charlotte Phillipp, PEOPLE, 19 Oct. 2025
And the Homeland Security Department has mandated that immigrants be detained while undergoing their proceedings, with such detention as mandatory for those who entered without legal status.
—Ximena Bustillo, NPR, 19 Oct. 2025
Adjective
Paris prosecutor Laure Beccuau said the suspects were arrested on Saturday evening, and that one of them was detained while attempting to flee the country from Charles de Gaulle Airport.
—Rebecca Schneid, Time, 26 Oct. 2025
And a chance encounter with ICE in August landed Barojas Solano in detention for six weeks, upending his legal process and leaving them terrified that he could be detained again.
—Lauren Villagran, USA Today, 26 Oct. 2025
All three were detained in the country's capital Tbilisi, and temporary residences in the city and Batumi, in western Georgia, were searched by authorities.
—Ellie Cook, MSNBC Newsweek, 26 Oct. 2025
On Thursday, immigration authorities detained a Hayward resident near the Alameda County courthouse in Dublin, a local nonprofit that tracks ICE activity said on social media.
—Shomik Mukherjee, Mercury News, 26 Oct. 2025
After first being detained in New Jersey, Gómez was awakened in the night and flown to an ICE facility in Michigan on August 19, his cousin said.
—Zoe Sottile, CNN Money, 25 Oct. 2025
Two other men were also detained at the scene, according to Zak.
—Rey Covarrubias Jr, AZCentral.com, 25 Oct. 2025
The man, whose identity has not yet been made public, is being detained under the country's Mental Health Act, following an assessment by medical professionals in custody.
—Charlotte Phillipp, PEOPLE, 19 Oct. 2025
And the Homeland Security Department has mandated that immigrants be detained while undergoing their proceedings, with such detention as mandatory for those who entered without legal status.
—Ximena Bustillo, NPR, 19 Oct. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for detained
Verb
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Portland Trail Blazers head coach Chauncey Billups and Miami Heat guard Terry Rozier were among those arrested in an FBI investigation into sports gambling.—
Evan Drellich,
New York Times,
25 Oct. 2025
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Jones was arrested in Las Vegas on the same conspiracy charges as Rozier and on charges linked to the poker case.—
Tim Stelloh,
NBC news,
24 Oct. 2025
Verb
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Two out of three lanes are closed and traffic is delayed on the inner loop of Interstate 485 in northwest Charlotte after a tractor trailer overturned Tuesday morning.—
Jeff A. Chamer,
Charlotte Observer,
21 Oct. 2025
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What Happens Next The longer the government shutdown takes to resolve, the more likely additional programs could be impacted and delayed, according to Newsom’s office.—
Suzanne Blake,
MSNBC Newsweek,
21 Oct. 2025
Verb
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In 2000, Tucker was apprehended and sentenced to 13 years in prison at the Federal Medical Center in Fort Worth.—
Brayden Garcia,
Fort Worth Star-Telegram,
23 Oct. 2025
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According to federal court records, authorities eventually apprehended a suspect, a 58-year-old Ohio man named James David Rogers.—
Liam Quinn,
PEOPLE,
23 Oct. 2025
Adjective
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Bankruptcies, drunk driving charges, delinquent child support, foreclosures, nickel-and-dime car wrecks, suspicious slip-and-falls, dubious claims of disabilities — the stock-in- trade of a run-of-the-mill street lawyer whose law school dreams of riches had faded so dim they were almost gone.—
Lizz Schumer,
PEOPLE,
17 Oct. 2025
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City officials contract with a secondary collection agency to pursue delinquent citations, and to send collection notices and make collections calls.—
Anna Kleiber,
jsonline.com,
17 Oct. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Detained.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/detained. Accessed 28 Oct. 2025.
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