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
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
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
Dennis Valera, CBS News, 3 June 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
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
Recent Examples of Synonyms for detainments
Noun
-
Emergency physicians do not control inpatient staffing, discharge bottlenecks, rehabilitation placement delays, or bed availability, yet emergency departments absorb the consequences when hospitals operate beyond capacity.—
Letters to the Editor,
Hartford Courant,
6 June 2026
-
Another project will cause intermittent traffic breaks near Boca during the day Tuesday through Thursday, causing motorists to undergo delays of up to 30 minutes.—
Corey Schmidt,
Sacbee.com,
6 June 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
-
Visitors can make a free same-day reservation for shorter entry waits or wait in a typically longer standby line.—
Eve Chen,
USA Today,
31 May 2026
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Unsurprisingly, sci-fi and fantasy titles that require considerable VFX work tend to be the shows that have the longest waits.—
James Hibberd,
HollywoodReporter,
27 May 2026
Noun
-
Amid the fear and acts of solidarity, the city announced a $100,000 emergency assistance fund to help households affected by the detentions pay rent and utility bills.—
Yuliana Montiel,
Charlotte Observer,
29 May 2026
-
More recently, Morello joined demonstrations outside Manhattan’s immigration court at 26 Federal Plaza alongside the organization Hands Off NYC, protesting ICE policies and detentions.—
SPIN Staff,
SPIN,
29 May 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 9 Jun. 2026.
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