1
as in imprisonment
the state of being held in lawful custody
he's been in detention since the arrest
Synonyms & Similar Words
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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
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of detention
Advertisement The Humanitarian Research Lab at Yale School of Public Health utilized satellite images to corroborate the scene, as well as a previously unreported potential mass killing at an RSF detention site at the former Children’s Hospital.
—
Rebecca Schneid, Time, 3 Nov. 2025
Schneider is next scheduled to appear in court for a detention hearing on Thursday.
—Luke Barr, ABC News, 3 Nov. 2025
Gil’s detention at first seemed to have caught Díaz-Canel by surprise.
—Nora Gámez Torres, Miami Herald, 3 Nov. 2025
Before the detention, his asylum case had been scheduled for a Master hearing in July 2026 in San Francisco.
—Billal Rahman, MSNBC Newsweek, 31 Oct. 2025
See All Example Sentences for detention
Rebecca Schneid, Time, 3 Nov. 2025
Schneider is next scheduled to appear in court for a detention hearing on Thursday.
—Luke Barr, ABC News, 3 Nov. 2025
Gil’s detention at first seemed to have caught Díaz-Canel by surprise.
—Nora Gámez Torres, Miami Herald, 3 Nov. 2025
Before the detention, his asylum case had been scheduled for a Master hearing in July 2026 in San Francisco.
—Billal Rahman, MSNBC Newsweek, 31 Oct. 2025
See All Example Sentences for detention
Recent Examples of Synonyms for detention
Noun
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Nii Mensah was sentenced to nine years’ imprisonment for his role in the attack; Jakeem Rose received eight; and Ugnius Asmena received seven.—
Christian Edwards,
CNN Money,
24 Oct. 2025
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According to the report, the manager was charged with three counts of unlawful imprisonment, along with a $500 bond for each, and one count of harassment with an additional $500 bond, totaling to a $2,000 bond.—
Moná Thomas,
PEOPLE,
23 Oct. 2025
Noun
-
Once again, LaGuardia Airport was particularly affected by delays, with 132 disruptions, as was John F Kennedy International Airport (102) and Logan International Airport (98).—
Jasmine Laws,
MSNBC Newsweek,
31 Oct. 2025
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On Saturday, Egypt’s showpiece museum officially opens its doors after innumerable interruptions, delays and setbacks.—
Oscar Holland,
CNN Money,
31 Oct. 2025
Noun
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Tarek Bazrouk, an anti-Israel agitator who was hit with federal hate crime charges after assaulting Jewish counter-protesters, was sentenced to 17 months of incarceration followed by three years of supervised release.—
Rachel Wolf , Maria Paronich,
FOXNews.com,
28 Oct. 2025
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Diving into the data, indicators such as access to grocery stores, affordable housing options, incarceration rates and homelessness all play a factor in lowering family stability.—
Desiree Mathurin,
Charlotte Observer,
28 Oct. 2025
Noun
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For summer weddings, the wait is worth it for better weather in key destinations.—
Jim Augerinos,
Travel + Leisure,
31 Oct. 2025
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For the 62-year-old architect, who was in her late 30s when the competition was announced, seeing the project come to fruition has, nonetheless, been worth the wait.—
Oscar Holland,
CNN Money,
31 Oct. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Detention.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/detention. Accessed 6 Nov. 2025.
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