DETAINEE Synonyms: 40 Similar and Opposite Words

detainee

noun

Definition of detainee

as in defendant

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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.

Recent Examples of detainee Lestina had a pretrial hearing set for Wednesday, and was listed in custody as of Wednesday morning, Kendall County detainee records show. — Aurora Beacon-News, Chicago Tribune, 23 Sep. 2026 On the Supreme Court, Kavanaugh was part of the 7-2 majority that in 2022 ruled against a Guantanamo Bay detainee who had been tortured by the CIA abroad and sought information about his treatment. — Maureen Groppe, USA Today, 9 Sep. 2026 New publications include a maximalist thriller set in Jamaica, another entry from horror phenom Tananarive Due, and a memoir from former ICE detainee Mahmoud Khalil. — Theara Coleman, TheWeek, 4 Sep. 2026 The waits have been particularly long in parts of Mississippi and Louisiana, where federal judges have usually taken three months or more to decide whether a detainee should be released. — Carla Astudillo, ProPublica, 3 Sep. 2026 See All Example Sentences for detainee

Recent Examples of Synonyms for detainee

Noun

The defendant and others are said to have used a yacht that departed from the German port of Rostock.

— Arkansas Online, Arkansas Online, 15 Oct. 2026
Prosecutors allege the defendants used Mexican identification documents belonging to other individuals to obtain IRS taxpayer identification numbers and file fraudulent returns.

— Brittany Miller, FOXNews.com, 14 Oct. 2026

Definition of defendant

Noun

In Palatine, after a police officer helped agents physically restrain an arrestee in front of an angry crowd, his department said the cop’s actions were a necessary response to deescalate a tense situation.

— Caroline Kubzansky, Chicago Tribune, 11 Sep. 2026
Throughout this process, every arrestee is presumed innocent — and because of that, First Appearance is not about punishment, despite some misconceptions.

— Corey B. Friedman, Sun Sentinel, 9 Aug. 2026

Definition of arrestee

Noun

Officers retreated and called for backup, but officials said the suspect fired shots at police.

— Los Angeles Times, Los Angeles Times, 18 Oct. 2026
Kaylub Giamanco, whose children attend the school, had earlier seen the shooter open fire on a man who verbally confronted the suspect outside the school.

— Ray Sanchez, CNN Money, 18 Oct. 2026

Definition of suspect

Noun

Measuring more than 10 feet by 9 feet, Amwan Agwe… (2026), for example, depicts green hills and blue waves alongside the skulls, candles, and fish that nod to Fèt Gede, Haiti’s annual festival honoring the spirits of the dead.

— Hikmat Mohammed, ARTnews.com, 14 Oct. 2026
Salmon born in its tributaries migrate to the ocean, spend years feeding at sea, then return to spawn, linking villages like Rampart to the same waters where the pollock fleet fishes.

— Annika Hammerschlag, Los Angeles Times, 13 Oct. 2026

Definition of fish

Noun

That same month, criminals nabbed a $4 million diamond necklace from Vienna’s Museum of Applied Arts (MAK).

— Lianne Kolirin, CNN Money, 16 Oct. 2026
For decades, Hollywood actor Danny Trejo’s bread and butter was playing gangsters, prison inmates and other assorted criminals.

— Corky Siemaszko, NBC news, 15 Oct. 2026

Definition of criminal

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detainee

detainees

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“Detainee.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/detainee. Accessed 20 Oct. 2026.

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Synonyms of detainee

noun

Example Sentences

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