detention

American  

[dih-ten-shuhn] / dɪˈtɛn ʃən /

noun

• detentions
  plural

1. the act of detaining.

2. the state of being detained.

3. maintenance of a person in custody or confinement, especially while awaiting a court decision.

4. the withholding of what belongs to or is claimed by another.

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adjective

1. of or relating to detention or used to detain.

   the detention room of a police station.

detention British  

/ dɪˈtɛnʃən /

noun

1. the act of detaining or state of being detained

2. 1. custody or confinement, esp of a suspect awaiting trial

   2. ( as modifier )

      a detention order

3. a form of punishment in which a pupil is detained after school

4. the withholding of something belonging to or claimed by another

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Other Word Forms

Derived Forms

• nondetention
  noun
• predetention
  noun

Inflected Forms

Nouns

• detentions
  plural

Etymology

Origin of detention

1400–50; late Middle English < Latin dētentiōn- (stem of dētentiō ), equivalent to dētent ( us ) detained (past participle of dētinēre; see detain) + -iōn- -ion

Explanation

Detention is a word for confinement or imprisonment, usually for a short time. It's also a punishment where children must stay after school. If you're in detention, you probably did something wrong: you're being confined against your will. The police hold people in detention, and so do military forces. Usually, detention is a short period of confinement, like if someone is arrested and then released. Also, the word is commonly used for an after-school punishment for children who have to stay in detention instead of going home. One thing is true of both kinds of detention: no one wants to be there.

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

detention detentions

The federal jail facility houses defendants awaiting criminal trials; adjacent is an immigration detention facility known as B-18.

From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 11, 2026

British prosecutors are urging a US court to deny a request by influencer Andrew Tate and his brother Tristan that they be released from jail while extradition proceedings play out, ahead of a detention hearing.

From BBC ● Aug. 11, 2026

Craig said that from her seat in Congress, she took on the administration by conducting oversight, helping get constituents released from custody and fighting against the opening of new detention centers in Minnesota.

From Salon ● Aug. 11, 2026

Three years ago, Thailand's then-foreign minister Don Pramudwinai met with Suu Kyi in private for more than an hour, her last known encounter with a foreign envoy since her detention.

From Barron's ● Aug. 6, 2026

Last year, when I didn’t know any better, Miss McDaniels gave me a detention for wearing my lucky sneakers instead of the regulation loafers.

From "Merci Suárez Changes Gears" by Meg Medina

The 2nd Circuit relied on the long-familiar Mathews test here, crediting the government’s concerns about flight risks, but ultimately ruling in favor of requiring a bond hearing given the length of Black’s and G.M.’s detentions.

From Slate ● Jun. 17, 2026

The detention adds friction between the U.S. and China, weeks after a summit where President Trump raised other detentions.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jun. 12, 2026

"The legal team will challenge the legality of these detentions and demand the immediate release of all flotilla participants," it added.

From BBC ● May 20, 2026

Agents took cellphones and laptops, as well as T-shirts and skateboard decks with the logo for VC Defensa, a volunteer-based group that has been documenting immigration raids and detentions in Ventura County.

From Los Angeles Times ● May 19, 2026

Thanks to these detentions, Ross Wilcox won't get me in the next few lunchtimes.

From "Black Swan Green" by David Mitchell

Related Words

• arrest
• custody
• delay
• incarceration
• internment
• quarantine