1
as in imprisonments
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 delays
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 detentions
Some are going up against the advice of school officials, the police and others in the name of making their communities more aware of what’s been happening, citing personal connections to the recent immigration detentions and a desire to make their voices heard.
—
Molly Morrow, Chicago Tribune, 11 Feb. 2026
For this story, ProPublica analyzed federal data on ICE detentions released through the Deportation Data Project.
—Mica Rosenberg, CNN Money, 10 Feb. 2026
Venezuela’s opposition and human rights groups have said for years that the country’s socialist government uses detentions to stamp out dissent.
—Reuters, NBC news, 9 Feb. 2026
The government of Venezuela’s acting President Delcy Rodríguez has faced mounting pressure to free hundreds of people whose detentions months or years ago have been linked to their political activities.
—Regina Garcia Cano, Los Angeles Times, 9 Feb. 2026
When those same renters feel unsafe going to work, the upshot is a crisis unfolding indoors — one that's less visible than arrests and detentions on the streets, but still deeply unnerving.
—CBS News, 9 Feb. 2026
Most supervisors acknowledged that a local ordinance is unlikely to deter ICE, referencing the agency's escalation of detentions in Minnesota that have drawn widespread protests and led to the fatal shooting of two protesters by federal agents.
—Claudia Levens, jsonline.com, 6 Feb. 2026
Before that can happen, though, attorneys for CoreCivic will argue at a Kansas Court of Appeals hearing in Topeka next Tuesday that the injunction blocking detentions at the facility without local officials’ approval should be lifted.
—Matthew Kelly
february 3, Kansas City Star, 3 Feb. 2026
For years, the ruling socialist movement has used political prisoners as a bargaining tool, amid a pattern of arbitrary detentions, partial releases and prisoner exchanges tied to political negotiations.
—Antonio María Delgado, Miami Herald, 31 Jan. 2026
Molly Morrow, Chicago Tribune, 11 Feb. 2026
For this story, ProPublica analyzed federal data on ICE detentions released through the Deportation Data Project.
—Mica Rosenberg, CNN Money, 10 Feb. 2026
Venezuela’s opposition and human rights groups have said for years that the country’s socialist government uses detentions to stamp out dissent.
—Reuters, NBC news, 9 Feb. 2026
The government of Venezuela’s acting President Delcy Rodríguez has faced mounting pressure to free hundreds of people whose detentions months or years ago have been linked to their political activities.
—Regina Garcia Cano, Los Angeles Times, 9 Feb. 2026
When those same renters feel unsafe going to work, the upshot is a crisis unfolding indoors — one that's less visible than arrests and detentions on the streets, but still deeply unnerving.
—CBS News, 9 Feb. 2026
Most supervisors acknowledged that a local ordinance is unlikely to deter ICE, referencing the agency's escalation of detentions in Minnesota that have drawn widespread protests and led to the fatal shooting of two protesters by federal agents.
—Claudia Levens, jsonline.com, 6 Feb. 2026
Before that can happen, though, attorneys for CoreCivic will argue at a Kansas Court of Appeals hearing in Topeka next Tuesday that the injunction blocking detentions at the facility without local officials’ approval should be lifted.
—Matthew Kelly
february 3, Kansas City Star, 3 Feb. 2026
For years, the ruling socialist movement has used political prisoners as a bargaining tool, amid a pattern of arbitrary detentions, partial releases and prisoner exchanges tied to political negotiations.
—Antonio María Delgado, Miami Herald, 31 Jan. 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for detentions
Noun
-
While much of her early music didn’t delve into politics, her widespread influence and affiliation with the Shah resulted in brief imprisonments, interrogations, confiscations and, most permanently, a ban on singing and performing in Iran.—
Mandy Taheri,
MSNBC Newsweek,
26 Nov. 2025
Noun
-
Yet the buyback program has suffered yearslong delays and pushback from police, provincial officials and gun owners.—
Max Saltman,
CNN Money,
15 Feb. 2026
-
Travelers with airline reservations may be nervously recalling a 43-day government shutdown that led to historic flight cancellations and long delays last year.—
ABC News,
ABC News,
14 Feb. 2026
Noun
-
Despite their felony convictions and impending incarcerations, both former Met police career criminals continue to collect their monthly kisses in the mail — $8,850 a month for Cederquist and $6,020 for Butner.—
Howie Carr,
Boston Herald,
4 Jan. 2026
-
Baltimore leaders say that 87% of young men enrolled in Roca Baltimore for 24 months have no new incarcerations, while those who stay in the program for three years are 19% less likely to return to a life of crime than other similarly aged men in Maryland.—
Adam Thompson,
CBS News,
4 Dec. 2025
Noun
-
Navigating rigid work schedules, complex appointment systems, and long waits at the doctor’s office offers a whole other set of issues.—
Dan Amos,
Time,
4 Feb. 2026
-
At that pace, long waits are facing most of the roughly 20,000 sick and wounded people who Gaza’s Health Ministry has said need treatment abroad.—
Wafaa Shurafa,
Los Angeles Times,
3 Feb. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Detentions.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/detentions. Accessed 16 Feb. 2026.
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