detainee
noun
de·tain·ee
di-ˌtā-ˈnē 
ˌdē-
: a person held in custody especially for political reasons
Examples of detainee in a Sentence
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But detainees inside the Adelanto facility who called the Immigrant Defenders rapid response hotline alleged that medical staff didn’t respond until after Ramos was unresponsive and that Ramos died inside the immigration detention facility, said an Immigrant Defenders spokesperson.
—
Ryanne Mena, Daily News, 31 Mar. 2026
Of the 50 detainees listed as citizens of Kyrgyzstan, for example, none had any criminal conviction; at best, five had pending charges while the rest had no criminal history.
—Joe Mahr, Chicago Tribune, 31 Mar. 2026
In the late afternoon, a small group of protesters began clashing with authorities outside the Metropolitan Detention Center, the site of other protests in recent months and where ICE holds detainees.
—Emily Hallas, The Washington Examiner, 30 Mar. 2026
Seminole County said in its application that figure included $832,000 in overtime and benefits and about $72,000 in mileage for driving detainees 161,000 miles.
—Cristóbal Reyes, The Orlando Sentinel, 29 Mar. 2026
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Ryanne Mena, Daily News, 31 Mar. 2026
Of the 50 detainees listed as citizens of Kyrgyzstan, for example, none had any criminal conviction; at best, five had pending charges while the rest had no criminal history.
—Joe Mahr, Chicago Tribune, 31 Mar. 2026
In the late afternoon, a small group of protesters began clashing with authorities outside the Metropolitan Detention Center, the site of other protests in recent months and where ICE holds detainees.
—Emily Hallas, The Washington Examiner, 30 Mar. 2026
Seminole County said in its application that figure included $832,000 in overtime and benefits and about $72,000 in mileage for driving detainees 161,000 miles.
—Cristóbal Reyes, The Orlando Sentinel, 29 Mar. 2026
See All Example Sentences for detainee
Cite this Entry
“Detainee.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/detainee. Accessed 6 Apr. 2026.
Copy CitationLegal Definition
detainee
noun
de·tain·ee
di-ˌtā-ˈnē
: a person who is detained
especially
: a person held in custody prior to trial or hearing
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