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
On the latest edition of Deadline’s Doc Talk podcast, co-hosts John Ridley and Matt Carey discuss what happened when the Miami Beach City Commission took up the mayor’s resolution to punish the cinema (our conversation was recorded before Ballal’s detention and subsequent release).
—
Matthew Carey, Deadline, 25 Mar. 2025
Leah Zemel, an Israeli lawyer representing the detainees, told The New York Times that she was informed that the individuals were being held in a military center for medical treatment and were questioned, but authorities did not give a reason for their detention.
—Ryan Coleman, EW.com, 25 Mar. 2025
Trump administration brings back family detention of migrants.
—Domenico Montanaro, NPR, 14 Mar. 2025
Policies such as Saudi Arabia’s military intervention in Yemen, its blockade of Qatar, the detention of Lebanon’s Prime Minister Saad Hariri and the conversion of the Ritz-Carlton hotel in Riyadh into a makeshift prison all fed an image of the young prince as an impulsive decision-maker.
—Kristian Coates Ulrichsen, The Conversation, 14 Mar. 2025
See All Example Sentences for detention
Matthew Carey, Deadline, 25 Mar. 2025
Leah Zemel, an Israeli lawyer representing the detainees, told The New York Times that she was informed that the individuals were being held in a military center for medical treatment and were questioned, but authorities did not give a reason for their detention.
—Ryan Coleman, EW.com, 25 Mar. 2025
Trump administration brings back family detention of migrants.
—Domenico Montanaro, NPR, 14 Mar. 2025
Policies such as Saudi Arabia’s military intervention in Yemen, its blockade of Qatar, the detention of Lebanon’s Prime Minister Saad Hariri and the conversion of the Ritz-Carlton hotel in Riyadh into a makeshift prison all fed an image of the young prince as an impulsive decision-maker.
—Kristian Coates Ulrichsen, The Conversation, 14 Mar. 2025
See All Example Sentences for detention
Recent Examples of Synonyms for detention
Noun
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Passengers were provided meal vouchers and undisclosed compensation for their delay, the spokesperson said.—
Andrew J. Campa,
Los Angeles Times,
26 Mar. 2025
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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
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Instead of additional incarceration, his attorney asked for probation Tuesday.—
Alex Brizee,
Idaho Statesman,
26 Mar. 2025
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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
Noun
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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
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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
Cite this Entry
“Detention.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/detention. Accessed 2 Apr. 2025.
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