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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Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of detains
Alligator Alcatraz houses a few hundred employees in trailers and detains about 650 male immigrants in large tents; until a few weeks ago, the number of those being detained was nearly 1,500.
—
Eric Schlosser,
The Atlantic,
4 June 2026
What are your rights if ICE detains you?
—
Laura Daniella Sepulveda,
AZCentral.com,
29 Jan. 2026
Independent groups like Human Rights Watch say the Venezuelan government intimidates human rights advocates, arrests and detains protesters and harasses journalists.
—
Syra Ortiz Blanes,
Miami Herald,
14 Jan. 2026
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
Eric Schlosser,
The Atlantic,
4 June 2026
What are your rights if ICE detains you?
—
Laura Daniella Sepulveda,
AZCentral.com,
29 Jan. 2026
Independent groups like Human Rights Watch say the Venezuelan government intimidates human rights advocates, arrests and detains protesters and harasses journalists.
—
Syra Ortiz Blanes,
Miami Herald,
14 Jan. 2026
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
Recent Examples of Synonyms for detains
Verb
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John Early, as anyone encountering his work soon apprehends, chooses the latter.
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Though the team immediately apprehends a suspect, the Marshals end up taking criticism from both sides.
Verb
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The deal delays highly technical discussions over the mechanics of unwinding Iran’s nuclear program.
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Lowe said that the government’s statutory inquiry risks becoming another long process that delays accountability, comparing it to other British scandals where official reckoning came only years later.
Verb
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Keith arrests our thinking, and cons us into suppressing our critical faculties with the same kind of internalized surveillance that philosopher Michel Foucault broke down to describe a prison’s use of the panopticon in Discipline and Punish.
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Devlin throws a punch at Stone when the chief arrests him for drunken driving.
Verb
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After Robin Hood ends up at an island priory overseen by the healer Sister Brigid (Comer), the pace slows down, a welcome change.
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Cells divide lethargically, which slows the closing of cuts and healing of bruises.
Verb
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Trump seizes America’s 250th-birthday spotlight, headlining the Great American State Fair, hosting a UFC bout at the White House and promoting new passports, $250 bills and coins bearing his image.
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Ellie brings up the salad and seizes the opportunity to take credit for her part in making lunch.
Cite this Entry
“Detains.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/detains. Accessed 28 Jun. 2026.
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