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
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Recent Examples of detainment
Since her father's detainment, Betancourt has traveled across the country to participate in demonstrations, including spending the past week in Minneapolis.
—
Nikiya Carrero, CBS News, 31 Jan. 2026
Since her father’s detainment, Betancourt has traveled across the country to participate in demonstrations, including spending the past week in Minneapolis.
—Nikiya Carrero, Miami Herald, 31 Jan. 2026
The detainments have broadly affected the staff and students in her district.
—Janelle Griffith, PEOPLE, 30 Jan. 2026
Other big stories ➤ The Department of Homeland Security bought a warehouse for detainment in this Valley city for more than $70 million.
—Arizona Republic, AZCentral.com, 30 Jan. 2026
Last year, more Americans returned from wrongful detainment than in any of the previous 22 years, Richards said.
—Sam Tabachnik, Denver Post, 29 Jan. 2026
Images from the young boy’s detainment garnered international attention when he was apprehended by immigration officials shortly after arriving home from preschool while his father was in their driveway, school officials said last week.
—Leah Sarnoff, ABC News, 28 Jan. 2026
Since Good’s shooting, there have been a string of controversial incidents, including an anti-ICE protest in a church that recently resulted in two arrests and the detainment of four students in a Minneapolis suburb, including a five-year-old.
—Zac Anderson, USA Today, 23 Jan. 2026
Details of Lee’s detainment were first reported by The SF Standard.
—Laurence Miedema, Mercury News, 22 Jan. 2026
Nikiya Carrero, CBS News, 31 Jan. 2026
Since her father’s detainment, Betancourt has traveled across the country to participate in demonstrations, including spending the past week in Minneapolis.
—Nikiya Carrero, Miami Herald, 31 Jan. 2026
The detainments have broadly affected the staff and students in her district.
—Janelle Griffith, PEOPLE, 30 Jan. 2026
Other big stories ➤ The Department of Homeland Security bought a warehouse for detainment in this Valley city for more than $70 million.
—Arizona Republic, AZCentral.com, 30 Jan. 2026
Last year, more Americans returned from wrongful detainment than in any of the previous 22 years, Richards said.
—Sam Tabachnik, Denver Post, 29 Jan. 2026
Images from the young boy’s detainment garnered international attention when he was apprehended by immigration officials shortly after arriving home from preschool while his father was in their driveway, school officials said last week.
—Leah Sarnoff, ABC News, 28 Jan. 2026
Since Good’s shooting, there have been a string of controversial incidents, including an anti-ICE protest in a church that recently resulted in two arrests and the detainment of four students in a Minneapolis suburb, including a five-year-old.
—Zac Anderson, USA Today, 23 Jan. 2026
Details of Lee’s detainment were first reported by The SF Standard.
—Laurence Miedema, Mercury News, 22 Jan. 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for detainment
Noun
-
Bridgerton season four wisely ditches the blackmail and delays Bridgerton’s indecent proposal.—
Savannah Walsh,
Vanity Fair,
30 Jan. 2026
-
Originally supposed to fly Sierra Space Dream Chaser test flight, but payload switched to an inert mass simulator because of potential Dream Chaser delays beyond October launch date.—
Richard Tribou,
The Orlando Sentinel,
30 Jan. 2026
Noun
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Tobay Robles challenged his detention in federal district court, and Schiltz issued an order last week requiring federal immigration authorities to either provide him with a bond hearing within seven days or immediately release him from custody if a hearing was not provided.—
Melissa Quinn,
CBS News,
27 Jan. 2026
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City response The facility has made headlines in recent weeks since an initial report from The Washington Post that disclosed Kansas City as a potential site for an ICE detention facility.—
Ben Wheeler,
Kansas City Star,
27 Jan. 2026
Noun
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Volunteers — some from corporate sponsors, others who might come off the annual wait list for this opportunity — then carefully use a rubber stamp with this year’s winning original verse on the envelope.—
Mindy Sink,
Denver Post,
27 Jan. 2026
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Workers counter that the health giant can afford to boost wages, and that patients are already suffering from long wait times and subpar care because Kaiser does not offer competitive pay.—
Grant Stringer,
Mercury News,
27 Jan. 2026
Noun
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Experts say the court likely will sentence him to life or a lengthy imprisonment because South Korea has maintained a de-facto moratorium on executions since late 1997.—
Arkansas Online,
Arkansas Online,
29 Jan. 2026
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Simon faces up to three years imprisonment and a fine of up to $250,000.—
Chris Ramirez,
jsonline.com,
29 Jan. 2026
Noun
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But in a zero-sum world, where more money spent on incarceration means less money available for California’s growing network of trauma recovery centers, that’s a bad bargain.—
Kathy Brown-Lowe,
Mercury News,
27 Jan. 2026
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Ladner noted that Pennington County had to expand its jail, even after accepting MacArthur Foundation money to implement alternatives to incarceration.—
John Hult,
States Newsroom,
27 Jan. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Detainment.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/detainment. Accessed 2 Feb. 2026.
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