detention center
noun
1
: a place where people who have entered a country illegally are kept for a period of time
2
: a place where people who have committed crimes are kept as punishment
She spent several months in a detention center for women.
a juvenile detention center
Examples of detention center in a Sentence
Recent Examples on the Web
Ramos and his father, Adrian Alexander Conejo Arias, were taken from their snowy suburban Minneapolis driveway last month to a family detention center in Dilley, Texas, sparking widespread outrage.
—
Ray Sanchez, CNN Money, 8 Feb. 2026
That’s a massive problem, because a detention center that’s open 24 hours a day and houses enough humans to populate a small city will put a far greater strain on public resources than any warehouse could.
—Orlando Sentinel Editorial Board, The Orlando Sentinel, 8 Feb. 2026
Amalia was given a nebulizer and a respiratory medication upon her discharge from the hospital, but these were taken away by detention center staff upon her return, the lawsuit states.
—Jack Queen, USA Today, 8 Feb. 2026
About 30 miles northwest in neighboring Leavenworth, Kansas, private prison company Core Civic’s plans for an immigration detention center advanced during a Monday public meeting.
—Sofi Zeman
february 8, Kansas City Star, 8 Feb. 2026
See All Example Sentences for detention center
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Ray Sanchez, CNN Money, 8 Feb. 2026
That’s a massive problem, because a detention center that’s open 24 hours a day and houses enough humans to populate a small city will put a far greater strain on public resources than any warehouse could.
—Orlando Sentinel Editorial Board, The Orlando Sentinel, 8 Feb. 2026
Amalia was given a nebulizer and a respiratory medication upon her discharge from the hospital, but these were taken away by detention center staff upon her return, the lawsuit states.
—Jack Queen, USA Today, 8 Feb. 2026
About 30 miles northwest in neighboring Leavenworth, Kansas, private prison company Core Civic’s plans for an immigration detention center advanced during a Monday public meeting.
—Sofi Zeman
february 8, Kansas City Star, 8 Feb. 2026
See All Example Sentences for detention center
Cite this Entry
“Detention center.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/detention%20center. Accessed 14 Feb. 2026.
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