detainment

noun

Definition of detainmentnext
1
as in delay
an instance or period of being prevented from going about one's business the returning vacationers' detainment at the border only lasted a few minutes

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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in detention
the state of being held in lawful custody she'll be kept in detainment until the trial if she can't post bail

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Antonyms & Near Antonyms

Example Sentences

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 detainment Allan Hancock College spokesperson Lauren Milbourne said Wednesday afternoon that the college stood by its initial statement of the incident, which said the detainment took place in Parking Lot 2 of the campus. — Mathew Miranda, Sacbee.com, 7 Oct. 2026 For Cazares, detainment created a pathway that otherwise would not have been available, said Peter Meinecke, senior staff attorney at The Resurrection Project. — Andrew Carter, Chicago Tribune, 20 Sep. 2026 Minnesota sought his extradition during his Texas detainment but Abbott refused to sign an extradition warrant. — ABC News, 18 Sep. 2026 However, detainments by federal agents have continued in the area. — Sabrina Franza, CBS News, 7 Sep. 2026 Hernandez’s lawyer declined to comment Thursday on his detainment. — Martin Goillandeau, CNN Money, 20 Aug. 2026 The legislation came after Lee, Deluzio and Dean conducted visits to Moshannon Valley Processing Facility earlier this year, the Northeast's largest immigration detainment facility. — Finch Walker, USA Today, 18 Aug. 2026 Xinjiang is home to many Uyghurs, a Muslim minority that the Chinese government has subjected to surveillance, forced labor and detainment in concentration camps. — Hailey Wang, Los Angeles Times, 10 Aug. 2026 In June, Brittney and Cherelle opened up to PEOPLE about how Brittney’s detainment derailed their plans of starting a family. — Natasha Dye, PEOPLE, 31 July 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for detainment
  1. delay
  2. detention
  3. wait
  4. imprisonment
  5. incarceration
Noun
  • Musk has repeatedly treated the sports car as a lower priority than Tesla’s other projects, while also blaming supply chain shortages for earlier delays.
    — Bilin Lin, Fortune, 17 Oct. 2026
  • The freight forwarder said Saudi Arabia’s Jeddah Port is congested with 10-to-12-day landside delays after cargo is discharged.
    — Glenn Taylor, Footwear News, 16 Oct. 2026
Definition of delay
Noun
  • The spokesman added that wrongful detention is determined by a variety of factors, including having US citizenship or a connection to the US.
    — Shelby Talcott, semafor.com, 16 Oct. 2026
  • There was no immediate comment from the police on the detention.
    — Reuters, NBC news, 16 Oct. 2026
Definition of detention
Noun
  • Brokers no longer face a mandatory 12-hour wait period between educational seminars and sales presentations.
    — Cindy Krischer Goodman, Sun Sentinel, 14 Oct. 2026
  • More intricate jobs can take longer, as my testing shows, but the results reward the wait.
    — Michael Lydick, PC Magazine, 14 Oct. 2026
Definition of wait
Noun
  • According to the church, Wang's family has been permitted fewer than five visits during nearly eight years of imprisonment.
    — Mitch Picasso, FOXNews.com, 17 Oct. 2026
  • For some, the potential release of thousands of prisoners doesn’t go far enough to repair the damage of their prolonged imprisonment.
    — ABC News, ABC News, 14 Oct. 2026
Definition of imprisonment
Noun
  • Those with misdemeanors can vote or if the person has an unsentenced status with no prior felony conviction unless voting rights have been restored following the release from incarceration for the felony conviction.
    — Sean Krofssik, Hartford Courant, 18 Oct. 2026
  • The first half of Fielder and Oppenheim’s film chronicles the 34 days leading up to the incarceration of Elizabeth Holmes, founder of the blood-testing technology company Theranos.
    — Stephanie Zacharek, Time, 16 Oct. 2026
Definition of incarceration

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detainment
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Cite this Entry

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

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