1
as in delays
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 imprisonments
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 detainments
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
Hefets’ detainments were part of a national policy toward antisemitism, defined over decades in the shadow of the Holocaust and sharpened recently under the helm of Felix Klein, the first federal commissioner for combating antisemitism.
—Shira Li Bartov, Sun Sentinel, 9 Mar. 2026
Kim is the executive director of Minnesota Voice, a progressive nonprofit dedicated to voter registration, civic engagement and training community organizers, and took a visible role organizing against Immigration end Customs Enforcement detainments during Operation Metro Surge.
—Frederick Melo, Twin Cities, 4 Mar. 2026
The singer’s tour stop in Minnesota doubled as a benefit concert for Minneapolis nonprofit The Advocates for Human Rights, which has been working to support families affected by ICE’s arrests, detainments and deportations in the city.
—Hannah Dailey, Billboard, 23 Feb. 2026
Many of the students who have participated in school walkouts have cited deep personal concerns about how ICE's operations could result in wrongful detainments or violence in their communities.
—Cate Charron, IndyStar, 19 Feb. 2026
The Lawrence Police Department did not confirm the detainments.
—Caroline Zimmerman, Kansas City Star, 17 Feb. 2026
The detainments have broadly affected the staff and students in her district.
—Janelle Griffith, PEOPLE, 30 Jan. 2026
The Statesman has reached out to Hays County, Buda and Kyle officials for information on any other potential detainments.
—Dante Motley, Austin American Statesman, 15 Jan. 2026
Victoria Le, Oc Register, 14 Apr. 2026
Hefets’ detainments were part of a national policy toward antisemitism, defined over decades in the shadow of the Holocaust and sharpened recently under the helm of Felix Klein, the first federal commissioner for combating antisemitism.
—Shira Li Bartov, Sun Sentinel, 9 Mar. 2026
Kim is the executive director of Minnesota Voice, a progressive nonprofit dedicated to voter registration, civic engagement and training community organizers, and took a visible role organizing against Immigration end Customs Enforcement detainments during Operation Metro Surge.
—Frederick Melo, Twin Cities, 4 Mar. 2026
The singer’s tour stop in Minnesota doubled as a benefit concert for Minneapolis nonprofit The Advocates for Human Rights, which has been working to support families affected by ICE’s arrests, detainments and deportations in the city.
—Hannah Dailey, Billboard, 23 Feb. 2026
Many of the students who have participated in school walkouts have cited deep personal concerns about how ICE's operations could result in wrongful detainments or violence in their communities.
—Cate Charron, IndyStar, 19 Feb. 2026
The Lawrence Police Department did not confirm the detainments.
—Caroline Zimmerman, Kansas City Star, 17 Feb. 2026
The detainments have broadly affected the staff and students in her district.
—Janelle Griffith, PEOPLE, 30 Jan. 2026
The Statesman has reached out to Hays County, Buda and Kyle officials for information on any other potential detainments.
—Dante Motley, Austin American Statesman, 15 Jan. 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for detainments
Noun
-
Porter focused on cutting bureaucracy, calling for a single statewide development permit to streamline approvals and reduce delays.—
Noe Padilla,
USA Today,
9 May 2026
-
Police have asked those traveling around the area to plan for delays and try alternative routes if possible.—
Fousia Abdullahi,
Fort Worth Star-Telegram,
9 May 2026
Noun
-
Darling pointed to recent high profile imprisonments of Baha’i cousins Peyvand Naimi and Borna Naimi, who have undergone torture to force confessions and face possible death sentences.—
Etan Vlessing,
HollywoodReporter,
1 May 2026
-
In Acts, the disciple Paul endures several imprisonments, turning to God for strength and divine intervention.—
Emiliano Tahui Gómez,
Austin American Statesman,
17 Mar. 2026
Noun
-
Bisignano promised to bring waits down to under ten minutes.—
E. Tammy Kim,
New Yorker,
7 May 2026
-
Under Noem, lawmakers from both parties expressed frustration with long waits for assistance for disaster survivors, and for federal grant money to protect people across the country from floods, fires and storms.—
Lauren Sommer,
NPR,
7 May 2026
Noun
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The advocacy group said the junta’s inner circle appears directly involved in the detentions, with a security officer for junta leader Capt.—
ABC News,
ABC News,
6 May 2026
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The judges’ caseloads have been swamped even further with the arrival of nearly 1,000 new legal petitions per month challenging immigration detentions in the district, where a concentration of ICE facilities can house nearly 4,000 people at a time, Nunley said.—
Sharon Bernstein,
Sacbee.com,
24 Apr. 2026
Noun
-
Once a technically complicated legal rarity used to challenge improper incarcerations, habeas corpus petitions have become the predominant avenue for immigrants seeking release from detentions that increasingly end only with a deportation order.—
Seth Klamann,
Denver Post,
12 Apr. 2026
-
Despite their felony convictions and impending incarcerations, both former Met police career criminals continue to collect their monthly kisses in the mail — $8,850 a month for Cederquist and $6,020 for Butner.—
Howie Carr,
Boston Herald,
4 Jan. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Detainments.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/detainments. Accessed 12 May. 2026.
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