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
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of detention
In June 2025, four detainees escaped from Delaney Hall after dozens of others inside the facility mounted an uprising in apparent revolt against detention conditions.
—
Chad De Guzman, Time, 1 June 2026
Arianne Betancourt’s father Justo was recently released from detention at Alligator Alcatraz.
—Joshua Ceballos, Sun Sentinel, 1 June 2026
Trump’s tax and spending bill that passed in July provided $45 billion for building new immigration detention centers, and ICE currently has around 66,000 people in detention, Kayyem said.
—Ethan Baron, Mercury News, 1 June 2026
The court denied the state’s petition for pretrial detention, and Price was released pending a future trial, according to police.
—Claire Murphy, Chicago Tribune, 1 June 2026
See All Example Sentences for detention
Chad De Guzman, Time, 1 June 2026
Arianne Betancourt’s father Justo was recently released from detention at Alligator Alcatraz.
—Joshua Ceballos, Sun Sentinel, 1 June 2026
Trump’s tax and spending bill that passed in July provided $45 billion for building new immigration detention centers, and ICE currently has around 66,000 people in detention, Kayyem said.
—Ethan Baron, Mercury News, 1 June 2026
The court denied the state’s petition for pretrial detention, and Price was released pending a future trial, according to police.
—Claire Murphy, Chicago Tribune, 1 June 2026
See All Example Sentences for detention
Recent Examples of Synonyms for detention
Noun
-
More people know about arbitrary arrests and imprisonments.—
Nick Miller,
New York Times,
30 May 2026
-
The judge sentenced him to 57 months of imprisonment for the fentanyl distribution charge and a consecutive 24 months for violating the conditions of his supervised release.—
Staff Report,
Hartford Courant,
28 May 2026
Noun
-
Sanfilippo is a fatal pediatric neurodegenerative disorder, with each delay in treatment equaling permanent neurological decline.—
Elise Esposito,
Boston Herald,
29 May 2026
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Artemis program Due to the Mark 1 issues outlined above, there will either be significant delays to, or the need to restructure the early phases of, the Moon Base program.—
Eric Berger,
ArsTechnica,
29 May 2026
Noun
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The group, whose goal is to end mass incarceration and address racial disparities in the criminal justice system, said most youth arrests are for non-violent offenses.—
Saleen Martin,
USA Today,
2 June 2026
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Because Ethan will be released back into the family’s care following his incarceration, the judge will take into consideration what the family wants when determining the length of Ethan’s prison term.—
Justin Kroll,
Deadline,
2 June 2026
Noun
-
At busy times there can be a wait for drinks at the Pink Bar, but staff will remember your favourite tipple after a day or two.—
Condé Nast,
Condé Nast Traveler,
2 June 2026
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While the average wait time for a kidney in the United States is two to five years, in large states like California, the wait time exceeds five years.—
Gabriel Schnickel,
San Diego Union-Tribune,
2 June 2026
Cite this Entry
“Detention.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/detention. Accessed 7 Jun. 2026.
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