detention
noun
de·ten·tion
di-ˈten-chən 
1
: the act or fact of detaining or holding back
especially
: a holding in custody
2
: the state of being detained
especially
: a period of temporary custody prior to disposition by a court
Examples of detention in a Sentence
the detention of suspected terrorists
The jail is only used for brief detentions.
They both got three detentions this year.
He got detention for being late to class.
Recent Examples on the Web
The Miami Herald/Tampa Bay Times has obtained a list of more than 700 people who have been detained or appear to be scheduled to be sent to the Florida-run immigration detention facility known as Alligator Alcatraz.
—
Ana Ceballos, Miami Herald, 13 July 2025
Mahmoud Khalil, the Columbia graduate and pro-Palestinian activist just released from ICE detention, was in the front row.
—Hanif Abdurraqib, New Yorker, 13 July 2025
During a detention hearing at the Leighton Criminal Courthouse, Assistant State’s Attorney Sheri Bennet said Clark planned the attack after seeing a social media post that indicated his former girlfriend was now seeing one of his friends.
—Madeline Buckley, Chicago Tribune, 12 July 2025
During his detention, Guevara has been moved to at least five different facilities across Georgia.
—Eduardo Cuevas, USA Today, 12 July 2025
See All Example Sentences for detention
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Cite this Entry
“Detention.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/detention. Accessed 17 Jul. 2025.
Kids Definition
detention
noun
de·ten·tion
di-ˈten-chən
: the act of detaining : the state of being detained: as
a
: temporary custody before a trial
b
: the punishment of being kept in after school
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