detention
noun
de·ten·tion
di-ˈten-chən 
1
: the act or fact of detaining or holding back
especially
: a holding in custody
2
: the state of being detained
especially
: a period of temporary custody prior to disposition by a court
Examples of detention in a Sentence
the detention of suspected terrorists
The jail is only used for brief detentions.
They both got three detentions this year.
He got detention for being late to class.
Recent Examples on the Web
Murphy granted this, allowing their detention at Camp Lemonnier in Djibouti, a U.S. naval installation, rather than ordering their return to U.S. soil.
—
Billal Rahman, MSNBC Newsweek, 6 June 2025
On Monday, students at Gomes da Silva’s school in Milford, Mass., staged a walkout in protest of his detention.
—Carlos De Loera, Los Angeles Times, 6 June 2025
His family was initially held in Florence, Colorado, about an hour away from their home in Colorado Springs, before they were transferred to a detention facility in Texas.
—Jeremy Harlan, CNN Money, 5 June 2025
His wife, Rosa Lopez, said he is being held in a detention facility in McFarland in Kern County.
—Kyle Martin, Mercury News, 5 June 2025
See All Example Sentences for detention
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Billal Rahman, MSNBC Newsweek, 6 June 2025
On Monday, students at Gomes da Silva’s school in Milford, Mass., staged a walkout in protest of his detention.
—Carlos De Loera, Los Angeles Times, 6 June 2025
His family was initially held in Florence, Colorado, about an hour away from their home in Colorado Springs, before they were transferred to a detention facility in Texas.
—Jeremy Harlan, CNN Money, 5 June 2025
His wife, Rosa Lopez, said he is being held in a detention facility in McFarland in Kern County.
—Kyle Martin, Mercury News, 5 June 2025
See All Example Sentences for detention
Cite this Entry
“Detention.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/detention. Accessed 10 Jun. 2025.
Copy CitationKids Definition
detention
noun
de·ten·tion
di-ˈten-chən
: the act of detaining : the state of being detained: as
a
: temporary custody before a trial
b
: the punishment of being kept in after school
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