noun
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the act of detaining or state of being detained
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custody or confinement, esp of a suspect awaiting trial
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( as modifier )
a detention order
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a form of punishment in which a pupil is detained after school
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the withholding of something belonging to or claimed by another
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Inflected Forms
Nouns
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.
Vocabulary lists containing detention
Monster
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Freak the Mighty
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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.
See Examples For:
“The consequences of Gao Zhen’s detention extend well beyond the artist himself,” his brother said in a statement last week.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 26, 2026
According to legal documents described by Ren, the basis for Wang's detention is that her collection of church offerings was fraudulent because Zion is not registered.
From Barron's ● Aug. 25, 2026
The US government says Al-Marimi admitted bombing the plane along with Megrahi and Fhimah when he was questioned in a Libyan detention facility in 2012.
From BBC ● Aug. 24, 2026
“It’s devastating, the amount of cruelty that we’re seeing ... and a lot of the people that are in detention centers are workers,” Huerta said.
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 24, 2026
Liyana whispered, “This is getting ridiculous! Say no!” and Sylvie peeped, “No” in a thin voice that caused her to get a detention note.
From "Habibi" by Naomi Shihab Nye
On the eve of the election, Zambia's Human Rights Commission said it was "actively monitoring arrests and detentions involving political candidates, supporters, journalists and other actors".
From Barron's ● Aug. 14, 2026
Over the course of months, investigators made a couple of detentions and conducted a few searches as the Guthrie family made a series of emotional pleas to the kidnappers.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 31, 2026
Ebenezer, who took over Caldicot School in 2023, previously made headlines after introducing Saturday detentions as part of a tougher discipline policy.
From BBC ● Jul. 3, 2026
The statute the government relied on for Black’s and G.M.’s detentions is the Immigration and Nationality Act.
From Slate ● Jun. 17, 2026
Other early reports concerned the victories of Ian Smith’s troops in Rhodesia and detentions of government opponents in South Africa.
From "Long Walk to Freedom" by Nelson Mandela
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
