detainer
Americannoun
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a writ for the further detention of a person already in custody.
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the wrongful detaining or withholding of what belongs to another.
noun
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the wrongful withholding of the property of another person
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the detention of a person in custody
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a writ authorizing the further detention of a person already in custody
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Other Word Forms
Etymology
Origin of detainer
1610–20; < Anglo-French detener (noun use of infinitive), variant of Old French detenir; see detain
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
After taking him to jail, police placed an ICE detainer on him.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Mar. 23, 2026
US immigration authorities had placed a detainer on him as part of that case, which is a request for someone who is a non-US citizen to be taken into their custody should they be released.
From BBC ● Feb. 27, 2026
Records show immigration officials lifted the detainer on Hernández just after 11 p.m.
From Salon ● Feb. 19, 2026
But thanks to a newly unveiled criminal indictment and a pending immigration detainer, it’s highly unlikely that he will be returning home to his wife and children anytime soon.
From Slate ● Jun. 26, 2025
My detainer, a government inspector, a man of massive frame with deep set eyes and a shaggy black beard, refused to say more than that the police wished to see me.
From The Land of Deepening Shadow Germany-at-War by D. Thomas Curtin
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Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
