1
as in delay
an instance or period of being prevented from going about one's business
the returning vacationers' detainment at the border only lasted a few minutes
Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in detention
the state of being held in lawful custody
she'll be kept in detainment until the trial if she can't post bail
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
show current usage.
Read More
Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors.
Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of detainment
The detainments would also be very temporary, would only be during the building's office hours, and no one would be detained overnight.
—
Dennis Valera, CBS News, 3 June 2026
The crash also injured two others in a Tesla carrying four passengers and led to the detainment of two juveniles, who were driving at a high speed in a Hyundai before the crash, according to Jason Jimenez, a spokesperson for the Elk Grove Police Department.
—Sean Campbell, Sacbee.com, 1 June 2026
Marrero said his husband’s identification was taken during his detainment and was not returned.
—Sean Krofssik, Hartford Courant, 6 May 2026
Anxiety is high among stadium workers, who are concerned about the threat of ICE detainment, regardless of their immigration status.
—Los Angeles Times, 1 May 2026
Juan and Donovan’s relationship was interrupted by his detainment early on, so their evidence wasn’t as easy.
—Elizabeth Hernandez, Denver Post, 26 Apr. 2026
Schlenker says the initial detainment has turned into a months-long legal battle overseas and there is no clear sign of returning home.
—Colson Thayer, PEOPLE, 21 Apr. 2026
Among them are fears of border detainment and gun violence.
—Kathleen Wong, USA Today, 17 Apr. 2026
Immigration sweeps peaked in Orange County’s most populous city last summer with at least 30 detainments between mid-June and mid-September, including when federal officers descended several times on car washes and a Home Depot, ending in several deportations.
—Victoria Le, Oc Register, 14 Apr. 2026
Dennis Valera, CBS News, 3 June 2026
The crash also injured two others in a Tesla carrying four passengers and led to the detainment of two juveniles, who were driving at a high speed in a Hyundai before the crash, according to Jason Jimenez, a spokesperson for the Elk Grove Police Department.
—Sean Campbell, Sacbee.com, 1 June 2026
Marrero said his husband’s identification was taken during his detainment and was not returned.
—Sean Krofssik, Hartford Courant, 6 May 2026
Anxiety is high among stadium workers, who are concerned about the threat of ICE detainment, regardless of their immigration status.
—Los Angeles Times, 1 May 2026
Juan and Donovan’s relationship was interrupted by his detainment early on, so their evidence wasn’t as easy.
—Elizabeth Hernandez, Denver Post, 26 Apr. 2026
Schlenker says the initial detainment has turned into a months-long legal battle overseas and there is no clear sign of returning home.
—Colson Thayer, PEOPLE, 21 Apr. 2026
Among them are fears of border detainment and gun violence.
—Kathleen Wong, USA Today, 17 Apr. 2026
Immigration sweeps peaked in Orange County’s most populous city last summer with at least 30 detainments between mid-June and mid-September, including when federal officers descended several times on car washes and a Home Depot, ending in several deportations.
—Victoria Le, Oc Register, 14 Apr. 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for detainment
Noun
-
Sanfilippo is a fatal pediatric neurodegenerative disorder, with each delay in treatment equaling permanent neurological decline.—
Elise Esposito,
Boston Herald,
29 May 2026
-
Artemis program Due to the Mark 1 issues outlined above, there will either be significant delays to, or the need to restructure the early phases of, the Moon Base program.—
Eric Berger,
ArsTechnica,
29 May 2026
Noun
-
Tuesday's protest came in response to the widespread detention of women and girls in Herat province in recent days by the Taliban's morality police force, for alleged violations of the group's rules on attire, which require women to cover their hair and faces.—
Ahmad Mukhtar,
CBS News,
9 June 2026
-
However, this is not a simple process, and millions of dollars’ worth of cargo can be held at a single time by CBP upon detention, disrupting the consistency of product supply and the scale of profitability.—
Paxton Honerkamp,
CNBC,
9 June 2026
Noun
-
From a clinical perspective, these shortages have real consequences — long waits, days in an emergency room waiting for a psychiatric bed to open and conditions that worsen while people fall through the cracks.—
Cathryn Nacario,
San Diego Union-Tribune,
9 June 2026
-
Bogen touted other enhancements promised by enhanced 911, including more efficient call connection (reducing the current four-second wait to one second).—
Rafael Olmeda,
Sun Sentinel,
9 June 2026
Noun
-
More people know about arbitrary arrests and imprisonments.—
Nick Miller,
New York Times,
30 May 2026
-
The judge sentenced him to 57 months of imprisonment for the fentanyl distribution charge and a consecutive 24 months for violating the conditions of his supervised release.—
Staff Report,
Hartford Courant,
28 May 2026
Noun
-
Judge Nicole Hopps last month increased his minimum term of incarceration to 60 years after granting his request to correct the erroneous sentence.—
Tom Olsen,
Twin Cities,
8 June 2026
-
After the podcast fans brought the case to the attention of Odessa, Texas, police chief Michael Gerke (the podcast listener’s father), Reyos was exonerated in 2023 and awarded $80,000 per year of his incarceration by the state of Texas, amounting to almost $2 million.—
Encyclopedia Britannica,
Encyclopedia Britannica,
8 June 2026
Cite this Entry
“Detainment.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/detainment. Accessed 11 Jun. 2026.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
