1
as in imprisonment
the state of being held in lawful custody
he's been in detention since the arrest
Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in delay
an instance or period of being prevented from going about one's business
the detention at the airport security checkpoint was brief, but because he was running late, it caused him to miss his flight
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
show current usage.
Read More
Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors.
Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of detention
The facility is part of Trump’s efforts to ramp up deportations by expanding detention capacity.
—
Michelle Stoddart, ABC News, 30 June 2025
Strother is expected to appear before a judge for a detention hearing on Saturday.
—William Lee, Chicago Tribune, 28 June 2025
Federal and state officials want to set up 5,000 detention beds by early July at Alligator Alcatraz and potentially other sites, such as Camp Blanding, a National Guard base in North Florida.
—Skyler Swisher, The Orlando Sentinel, 27 June 2025
Attorneys are pleading for the release from immigration detention of a 6-year-old boy treated for cancer of the blood and bone marrow, who is being held in Texas with his mother and sibling.
—Suzanne Gamboa, NBC news, 26 June 2025
See All Example Sentences for detention
Michelle Stoddart, ABC News, 30 June 2025
Strother is expected to appear before a judge for a detention hearing on Saturday.
—William Lee, Chicago Tribune, 28 June 2025
Federal and state officials want to set up 5,000 detention beds by early July at Alligator Alcatraz and potentially other sites, such as Camp Blanding, a National Guard base in North Florida.
—Skyler Swisher, The Orlando Sentinel, 27 June 2025
Attorneys are pleading for the release from immigration detention of a 6-year-old boy treated for cancer of the blood and bone marrow, who is being held in Texas with his mother and sibling.
—Suzanne Gamboa, NBC news, 26 June 2025
See All Example Sentences for detention
Recent Examples of Synonyms for detention
Noun
-
The Trump budget cuts now mean Europe may have to go it alone, possibly facing further delays.—
Tereza Pultarova,
Space.com,
30 June 2025
-
The Defense Intelligence Agency concluded in a low-confidence initial assessment that the strikes caused only limited delays to Iran's nuclear program and failed to destroy key underground sites.—
Jesus Mesa,
MSNBC Newsweek,
29 June 2025
Noun
-
The county’s incarceration rate was 56% higher than the state average, fueled by people with mental illnesses and substance abuse problems.—
Stephen Hudak,
The Orlando Sentinel,
29 June 2025
-
Children who can’t read proficiently by third grade are far more likely to fall behind, drop out of high school and face worse life outcomes — from lower earnings to higher incarceration rates to shorter life expectancy.—
U T Editorial Board,
San Diego Union-Tribune,
27 June 2025
Noun
-
And, Burke and the Pate brothers say the final season will be well worth the wait.—
Samantha Stutsman,
People.com,
21 June 2025
-
The program is a partnership between the two agencies and an effort to clear crash investigations more quickly in a region with clogged roads, a ballooning population and often-long wait times after minor accidents.—
Natalia Jaramillo,
The Orlando Sentinel,
21 June 2025
Cite this Entry
“Detention.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/detention. Accessed 5 Jul. 2025.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
Share