1
as in arresting
to take or keep (someone) in confinement by authority of law
Police detained the suspect.
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2
as in delaying
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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Recent Examples of detaining
Hundreds of agents swarmed apartments in the multi-story building, detaining several American citizens, including children, for hours and netting 37 total arrests.
—
Kinsey Crowley, USA Today, 24 Oct. 2025
But local journalists confirmed the video was of agents detaining a protester.
—Ben Smith, semafor.com, 20 Oct. 2025
Armed agents with fully automatic weapons of war stand outside the ICE facility in South Waterfront, where the city recently accused the agency of violating its own land-use permit by detaining people overnight.
—MSNBC Newsweek, 17 Oct. 2025
Iran has accused France of arbitrarily detaining Mahdieh Esfandiari, an Iranian student living in the French city of Lyon, who was arrested this year over anti-Israel social media posts.
—CNN Money, 14 Oct. 2025
Federal immigration officers have been seen in countless videos using increasingly aggressive tactics while detaining immigrants.
—NPR, 14 Oct. 2025
Police ultimately arrested a 19-year-old white man for the shooting days after mistakenly detaining Leasy.
—Matt Lavietes, NBC news, 10 Oct. 2025
At a recent forum on public safety sponsored by the policy journal Vital City, he was asked about police involuntarily detaining the mentally ill.
—Eric Lach, New Yorker, 9 Oct. 2025
The mayor also referenced ICE officers reportedly detaining Chicago Alderperson Jessie Fuentes and utilizing tear gas on residents on Friday.
—Max Rego, The Hill, 6 Oct. 2025
Kinsey Crowley, USA Today, 24 Oct. 2025
But local journalists confirmed the video was of agents detaining a protester.
—Ben Smith, semafor.com, 20 Oct. 2025
Armed agents with fully automatic weapons of war stand outside the ICE facility in South Waterfront, where the city recently accused the agency of violating its own land-use permit by detaining people overnight.
—MSNBC Newsweek, 17 Oct. 2025
Iran has accused France of arbitrarily detaining Mahdieh Esfandiari, an Iranian student living in the French city of Lyon, who was arrested this year over anti-Israel social media posts.
—CNN Money, 14 Oct. 2025
Federal immigration officers have been seen in countless videos using increasingly aggressive tactics while detaining immigrants.
—NPR, 14 Oct. 2025
Police ultimately arrested a 19-year-old white man for the shooting days after mistakenly detaining Leasy.
—Matt Lavietes, NBC news, 10 Oct. 2025
At a recent forum on public safety sponsored by the policy journal Vital City, he was asked about police involuntarily detaining the mentally ill.
—Eric Lach, New Yorker, 9 Oct. 2025
The mayor also referenced ICE officers reportedly detaining Chicago Alderperson Jessie Fuentes and utilizing tear gas on residents on Friday.
—Max Rego, The Hill, 6 Oct. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for detaining
Verb
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Turner spoke with an arresting conviction, locating Canada’s fate in geography, history, and its defining quest to defy manifest destiny and political gravity.—
Dónal Gill,
The Dial,
28 Oct. 2025
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In Douala, Cameroon’s economic hub, security forces used water cannons and tear gas to disperse thousands of protesters, arresting close to 100.—
Amindeh Blaise Atabong,
semafor.com,
27 Oct. 2025
Verb
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Whether or not to cut back coneflowers is ultimately based on preference, but there are some advantages to delaying the process.—
Karen Brewer Grossman,
Southern Living,
24 Oct. 2025
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But SpaceX is not remotely ready to deliver, with serial failures of its mammoth Starship rocket delaying development of the lander.—
Jeffrey Kluger,
Time,
24 Oct. 2025
Verb
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Bands of masked men apprehending people in broad daylight in the streets and hauling them off.—
J. David McSwane,
ProPublica,
18 Oct. 2025
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The swift police response and use of video surveillance technology proved crucial in identifying and apprehending the shooter.—
Adeola Adeosun,
MSNBC Newsweek,
21 Sep. 2025
Verb
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Under Georgian law, buying, transporting or selling nuclear or radioactive material is punishable by up to five years in prison and seizing a nuclear material can lead to a sentence of up to 10 years.—
Ellie Cook,
MSNBC Newsweek,
26 Oct. 2025
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As French police, government officials and top executives at the Louvre Museum continue to scratch their heads over how thieves managed to brazenly steal priceless jewelry in broad daylight, a German company is seizing the moment and grabbing its 15 minutes of fame.—
Lianne Kolirin,
CNN Money,
24 Oct. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Detaining.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/detaining. Accessed 29 Oct. 2025.
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