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 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
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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John Malkovich shows up for a tangent that is meant to be expositional, but really only needlessly delays what’s coming.—
Richard Lawson,
HollywoodReporter,
7 Sep. 2025
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Others say that approach risks keeping critical documents under wraps and delays a fuller accounting.—
Robert Birsel,
MSNBC Newsweek,
3 Sep. 2025
Verb
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Handwriting slows the pace of thinking just enough to encourage deeper processing, better retention, and more original ideas, outcomes that typing, and indeed AI, rarely deliver.—
Sarah Hernholm,
Forbes.com,
9 Sep. 2025
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The new medication from Tufts targets a combination of four hormones — GLP-1, GIP, glucagon (the counterpart to insulin), and peptide YY, which reduces hunger, slows stomach emptying and may promote fat-burning.—
Melissa Rudy,
FOXNews.com,
8 Sep. 2025
Verb
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Suddenly, the Thursday Murder Club seizes an opportunity and leaps from the cold case realm into a very hot murder investigation.—
Tim Lammers,
Forbes.com,
27 Aug. 2025
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During a physical confrontation, Matheo forces Saskia to retreat, and Sylvie seizes the opportunity to grab Saskia’s gun.—
Time,
Time,
21 Aug. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Detains.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/detains. Accessed 10 Sep. 2025.
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