DETAINMENT Synonyms: 46 Similar and Opposite Words

detainment

noun

Definition of detainment

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

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Antonyms & Near Antonyms

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

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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 Allan Hancock College spokesperson Lauren Milbourne said Wednesday afternoon that the college stood by its initial statement of the incident, which said the detainment took place in Parking Lot 2 of the campus. — Mathew Miranda, Sacbee.com, 7 Oct. 2026 For Cazares, detainment created a pathway that otherwise would not have been available, said Peter Meinecke, senior staff attorney at The Resurrection Project. — Andrew Carter, Chicago Tribune, 20 Sep. 2026 Minnesota sought his extradition during his Texas detainment but Abbott refused to sign an extradition warrant. — ABC News, 18 Sep. 2026 However, detainments by federal agents have continued in the area. — Sabrina Franza, CBS News, 7 Sep. 2026 Hernandez’s lawyer declined to comment Thursday on his detainment. — Martin Goillandeau, CNN Money, 20 Aug. 2026 The legislation came after Lee, Deluzio and Dean conducted visits to Moshannon Valley Processing Facility earlier this year, the Northeast's largest immigration detainment facility. — Finch Walker, USA Today, 18 Aug. 2026 Xinjiang is home to many Uyghurs, a Muslim minority that the Chinese government has subjected to surveillance, forced labor and detainment in concentration camps. — Hailey Wang, Los Angeles Times, 10 Aug. 2026 In June, Brittney and Cherelle opened up to PEOPLE about how Brittney’s detainment derailed their plans of starting a family. — Natasha Dye, PEOPLE, 31 July 2026

Recent Examples of Synonyms for detainment

Noun

The combined sewage-overflow tanks that are supposed to divert sewage from running into the canal won’t be complete until 2029 — a seven-year delay that might require parts of the canal to be re-dredged again to remove the contamination.

— Kim Velsey, Curbed, 9 Oct. 2026
Additional concerns include technological obsolescence, refinancing risk, construction delays, and the need for continuing capital expenditure.

— Kevin Williams, CNBC, 9 Oct. 2026

Definition of delay

Noun

Within hours he was put in ICE custody and moved to a detention facility outside the state, authorities said.

— Arkansas Online, Arkansas Online, 10 Oct. 2026
Shortly after her departure, the White House pushed Noem and Lewandowski out of the department amid scandals connected to the department’s purchases of a luxury airplane, advertising, and immigrant detention contracts.

— Anna Giaritelli, The Washington Examiner, 9 Oct. 2026

Definition of detention

Noun

To give you an inside scoop on what’s coming down the pike in the next few months, the automotive experts at Edmunds have picked five vehicles that promise to be well worth the wait.

— ABC News, ABC News, 7 Oct. 2026
There isn’t another dwelling for miles around, just the island's beautiful rolling, untouched hillside with undiscovered ancient ruins lying in wait.

— Condé Nast, Condé Nast Traveler, 6 Oct. 2026

Definition of wait

Noun

Douglas details his volatile relationship with his late father, Kirk Douglas, his son Cameron’s addiction and imprisonment and the Stage 4 cancer diagnosis that forced him to confront his own mortality.

— Christina Dugan Ramirez, FOXNews.com, 10 Oct. 2026
One of those Americans was punched, subjected to electric shocks and forced to eat his own vomit during eight months of imprisonment, the indictment says.

— Philip Marcelo, Los Angeles Times, 8 Oct. 2026

Definition of imprisonment

Noun

Judge Underhill could have added to the 10 years of incarceration that the federal sentencing guidelines recommend but instead departed downward from them and shaved three years off them.

— Kevin Rennie, Hartford Courant, 3 Oct. 2026
This mandated that at least 10% of locally generated, unrestricted revenue be allocated to incarceration alternatives, advancing what was called the county’s Care First, Jails Last vision.

— Jon Regardie, Los Angeles Times, 1 Oct. 2026

Definition of incarceration

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detainment

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“Detainment.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/detainment. Accessed 11 Oct. 2026.

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Synonyms of detainment

noun

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