detachment

noun

de·​tach·​ment di-ˈtach-mənt How to pronounce detachment (audio)
dē-
1
: the action or process of detaching : separation
2
a
: the dispatch of a body of troops or part of a fleet from the main body for a special mission or service
b
: the part so dispatched
c
: a permanently organized separate unit usually smaller than a platoon and of special composition
3
a
: indifference to worldly concerns : aloofness
b
: freedom from bias or prejudice

Examples of detachment in a Sentence

I wish the article had approached the issue with a bit more detachment. The form is perforated to make detachment of the bottom section easier. A detachment of soldiers was called to assist the police.
Recent Examples on the Web
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.
But at Landing Zone English in Vietnam, the 25-man military intelligence detachment just down slope from us had only two or three without bachelor’s degrees. Edward Lotterman, Twin Cities, 27 July 2025 She’s rescued by a detachment of American doughboys, led by the aforementioned Pvt. Ben H. Winters, New York Times, 26 July 2025 Kurosawa poses a connection between the brutish intimacy of physical violence and the callous detachment of online violence. Justin Chang, New Yorker, 17 July 2025 The Army Signal Corps and a detachment of Air Force photographers, working out of a secret base in Hollywood, photographed the tests. The Atlantic, 10 July 2025 See All Example Sentences for detachment

Word History

First Known Use

1669, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Time Traveler
The first known use of detachment was in 1669

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Cite this Entry

“Detachment.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/detachment. Accessed 4 Aug. 2025.

Kids Definition

detachment

noun
de·​tach·​ment di-ˈtach-mənt How to pronounce detachment (audio)
1
: the action or process of detaching : separation
2
a
: the sending out of a body of troops or part of a fleet from the main body
b
: a small military unit with a special task or function
3
a
: a lack of interest in worldly concerns
b
: freedom from the influence of emotions : impartiality

More from Merriam-Webster on detachment

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