1
as in imprisonments
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 delays
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 detentions
In December, the European Union was overhauling its migration system, including streamlining deportations and increasing detentions.
—
CBS News, 4 Feb. 2026
Before that can happen, though, attorneys for CoreCivic will argue at a Kansas Court of Appeals hearing in Topeka next Tuesday that the injunction blocking detentions at the facility without local officials’ approval should be lifted.
—Matthew Kelly
february 3, Kansas City Star, 3 Feb. 2026
For years, the ruling socialist movement has used political prisoners as a bargaining tool, amid a pattern of arbitrary detentions, partial releases and prisoner exchanges tied to political negotiations.
—Antonio María Delgado, Miami Herald, 31 Jan. 2026
As Operation Metro Surge got into full swing earlier this month, more than 3,000 federal immigration agents flooded into Minnesota, carrying out sweeping detentions and facing off with protesters in tense confrontations.
—Elizabeth Wolfe, CNN Money, 30 Jan. 2026
The months of brutal ICE raids and detentions that followed — which have already claimed nine lives in 2026 alone — have galvanized them again.
—Los Angeles Times, 30 Jan. 2026
Several other clients of Arroyo’s are scheduled to be in court next week for hearings about their detentions, with even more awaiting consideration by a judge.
—Cristóbal Reyes, The Orlando Sentinel, 30 Jan. 2026
As arrests and detentions have climbed, so too have reports of people taken to hospitals by immigration agents because of illness or injury — due to preexisting conditions or problems stemming from their arrest or detention.
—Kff Health News, Daily News, 30 Jan. 2026
The greatest consequences of the public health hazard of immigration enforcement will fall on communities targeted by discriminatory policing, arrests, detentions, deportations, and violence.
—Patrick Smith, STAT, 27 Jan. 2026
CBS News, 4 Feb. 2026
Before that can happen, though, attorneys for CoreCivic will argue at a Kansas Court of Appeals hearing in Topeka next Tuesday that the injunction blocking detentions at the facility without local officials’ approval should be lifted.
—Matthew Kelly
february 3, Kansas City Star, 3 Feb. 2026
For years, the ruling socialist movement has used political prisoners as a bargaining tool, amid a pattern of arbitrary detentions, partial releases and prisoner exchanges tied to political negotiations.
—Antonio María Delgado, Miami Herald, 31 Jan. 2026
As Operation Metro Surge got into full swing earlier this month, more than 3,000 federal immigration agents flooded into Minnesota, carrying out sweeping detentions and facing off with protesters in tense confrontations.
—Elizabeth Wolfe, CNN Money, 30 Jan. 2026
The months of brutal ICE raids and detentions that followed — which have already claimed nine lives in 2026 alone — have galvanized them again.
—Los Angeles Times, 30 Jan. 2026
Several other clients of Arroyo’s are scheduled to be in court next week for hearings about their detentions, with even more awaiting consideration by a judge.
—Cristóbal Reyes, The Orlando Sentinel, 30 Jan. 2026
As arrests and detentions have climbed, so too have reports of people taken to hospitals by immigration agents because of illness or injury — due to preexisting conditions or problems stemming from their arrest or detention.
—Kff Health News, Daily News, 30 Jan. 2026
The greatest consequences of the public health hazard of immigration enforcement will fall on communities targeted by discriminatory policing, arrests, detentions, deportations, and violence.
—Patrick Smith, STAT, 27 Jan. 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for detentions
Noun
-
While much of her early music didn’t delve into politics, her widespread influence and affiliation with the Shah resulted in brief imprisonments, interrogations, confiscations and, most permanently, a ban on singing and performing in Iran.—
Mandy Taheri,
MSNBC Newsweek,
26 Nov. 2025
Noun
-
The hazardous conditions could make travel difficult with delays and chain controls.—
CA Weather Bot,
Sacbee.com,
7 Feb. 2026
-
The Justice Department has come under criticism for delays in the release of information, failing to redact the personal information and photos of victims and not releasing the entire 6 million documents collected in relation to Epstein.—
Stephen Groves,
Chicago Tribune,
7 Feb. 2026
Noun
-
Despite their felony convictions and impending incarcerations, both former Met police career criminals continue to collect their monthly kisses in the mail — $8,850 a month for Cederquist and $6,020 for Butner.—
Howie Carr,
Boston Herald,
4 Jan. 2026
-
Baltimore leaders say that 87% of young men enrolled in Roca Baltimore for 24 months have no new incarcerations, while those who stay in the program for three years are 19% less likely to return to a life of crime than other similarly aged men in Maryland.—
Adam Thompson,
CBS News,
4 Dec. 2025
Noun
-
Navigating rigid work schedules, complex appointment systems, and long waits at the doctor’s office offers a whole other set of issues.—
Dan Amos,
Time,
4 Feb. 2026
-
At that pace, long waits are facing most of the roughly 20,000 sick and wounded people who Gaza’s Health Ministry has said need treatment abroad.—
Wafaa Shurafa,
Los Angeles Times,
3 Feb. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Detentions.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/detentions. Accessed 8 Feb. 2026.
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