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detention centre

British

noun

a place where persons (typically asylum seekers, illegal immigrants, or people awaiting trial) may be detained for short periods by order of a court

"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

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.

He is currently being held at the airport's detention centre.

From BBC • Mar. 29, 2026

Under Thai law, offenders sentenced to three months or less may serve their term in a detention centre instead of prison.

From Barron's • Mar. 17, 2026

They have been held since in Baghdad's al-Karkh prison, once a US Army detention centre known as Camp Cropper, which is part of Baghdad airport's complex that has been subjected to repeated strikes.

From Barron's • Mar. 15, 2026

Some women, he said, had been told there was no guarantee they could seek asylum and may have to go to a detention centre instead, as a refugee.

From BBC • Mar. 11, 2026

Opposition party Vente Venezuela posted footage of one of the relatives - who appears to be unconscious - being tended to by others outside the Zona 7 detention centre in the capital, Caracas.

From BBC • Feb. 16, 2026

Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023