1
as in delay
an instance or period of being prevented from going about one's business
the returning vacationers' detainment at the border only lasted a few minutes
Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in detention
the state of being held in lawful custody
she'll be kept in detainment until the trial if she can't post bail
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
Recent Examples of Synonyms for detainment
Noun
-
Passengers were provided meal vouchers and undisclosed compensation for their delay, the spokesperson said.—
Andrew J. Campa,
Los Angeles Times,
26 Mar. 2025 -
Latency is another issue, as real-time AI audio processing requires significant computational power, which can lead to delays in live applications like gaming.—
Harshal Shah,
Forbes.com,
26 Mar. 2025
Noun
-
The high-profile detentions of Ozturk and Doroudi followed the detention earlier this month of Mahmoud Khalil, a former Columbia University grad student who had been active in the 2024 campus pro-Palestinian protests.—
Caroline Linton,
CBS News,
27 Mar. 2025
-
More: Immigrant women describe 'hell on earth' in ICE detention The government could use AI to identify objects or persons of interest by sifting through satellite images and other data feeds, much like the Defense Department can do on the battlefield, said two sources familiar with the initiative.—
Marisa Taylor and Jeffrey Dastin,
USA Today,
27 Mar. 2025
Noun
-
But the on-again, off-again nature of the process has resulted in a bewildered industry that has adopted a wait and see approach to investment decisions and supply chain alterations.—
Jerrold Lundquist,
Forbes.com,
30 Mar. 2025
-
Over the last few weeks, following significant cuts to the agency by DOGE, SSA has suffered frequent website crashes and long wait times over the phone, The Washington Post reported this week.—
Jon Brodkin,
ArsTechnica,
28 Mar. 2025
Noun
-
Instead of additional incarceration, his attorney asked for probation Tuesday.—
Alex Brizee,
Idaho Statesman,
26 Mar. 2025
-
Prosecutors had sought a sentence of 30 years to life in prison, while the defense argued for no incarceration.—
Brian Mazique,
Forbes,
24 Mar. 2025
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.
Cite this Entry
“Detainment.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/detainment. Accessed 2 Apr. 2025.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
Share