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
He was scheduled to appear at a detention hearing Saturday.
—
Deanese Williams-Harris, Chicago Tribune, 24 May 2025
During his first court appearance on Thursday, Rodriguez waived his right to a detention hearing, and a preliminary hearing for the case was set for June 18, per Reuters.
—Ingrid Vasquez, People.com, 23 May 2025
Eleven former Republican members of the U.S. House and Senate denounced the felony charges filed against Rep. LaMonica McIver after her visit to a New Jersey immigrant detention facility earlier this month.
—Sarah D. Wire, USA Today, 23 May 2025
He’s currently being held at the Cape May County Correctional Facility pending a detention hearing.
—Muri Assunção, New York Daily News, 23 May 2025
See All Example Sentences for detention
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.
Deanese Williams-Harris, Chicago Tribune, 24 May 2025
During his first court appearance on Thursday, Rodriguez waived his right to a detention hearing, and a preliminary hearing for the case was set for June 18, per Reuters.
—Ingrid Vasquez, People.com, 23 May 2025
Eleven former Republican members of the U.S. House and Senate denounced the felony charges filed against Rep. LaMonica McIver after her visit to a New Jersey immigrant detention facility earlier this month.
—Sarah D. Wire, USA Today, 23 May 2025
He’s currently being held at the Cape May County Correctional Facility pending a detention hearing.
—Muri Assunção, New York Daily News, 23 May 2025
See All Example Sentences for detention
Cite this Entry
“Detention.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/detention. Accessed 6 Jun. 2025.
Copy CitationKids 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
Love words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
Share