1
as in apprehends
to take or keep (someone) in confinement by authority of law
Police detained the suspect.
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2
as in delays
to keep (someone or something) from proceeding or progressing
She sent word that she had been unavoidably detained. The plane was detained for hours due to inclement weather.
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Recent Examples of detains
The Pinault family owns 42 percent of shares in Kering and detains 59 percent of voting rights.
—
Joelle Diderich, Footwear News, 9 Sep. 2025
The play is set in the real-life town of Lumpkin, whose economy has become reliant on a private prison that detains immigrants.
—Martha Ross, Mercury News, 7 Aug. 2025
Joelle Diderich, Footwear News, 9 Sep. 2025
The play is set in the real-life town of Lumpkin, whose economy has become reliant on a private prison that detains immigrants.
—Martha Ross, Mercury News, 7 Aug. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for detains
Verb
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Suppose the number is read in one case out of a hundred, and that the information reaches someone who apprehends the culprit in one case out of one thousand.—
Thomas Brewster,
Forbes.com,
3 Sep. 2025
Verb
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These early shifts—less COVID vaccination; fewer options for flu, MMR, and chickenpox vaccines; and, perhaps soon, delays to the hepatitis-B schedule—may seem benign enough.—
Katherine J. Wu,
The Atlantic,
18 Sep. 2025
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Too much light in the evening — that extra hour from daylight saving time — delays that surge and the cycle gets out of sync.—
Jeremy Tanner,
The Hill,
17 Sep. 2025
Verb
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Refrigerating bananas slows ripening and reduces sugar spikes.—
Christopher Bergland,
Verywell Health,
14 Oct. 2025
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Because of this, local officials are encouraging drivers to drive more slowly and with much more caution through mating season, which typically slows down towards the end of November into December.—
Moná Thomas,
PEOPLE,
14 Oct. 2025
Verb
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If Europe seizes this opportunity, quantum computing has the power to be a genuine differentiator for the continent, and shape our economy, and world, for the better.—
Jason Ma,
Fortune,
12 Oct. 2025
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The Athletic’s Daniel Popper believes a trade could be on the horizon if neither back seizes the opportunity ahead.—
Andy Behrens,
New York Times,
11 Oct. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Detains.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/detains. Accessed 18 Oct. 2025.
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