detainee
Americannoun
Etymology
Origin of detainee
Explanation
A prisoner is sometimes called a detainee, especially if they're being held by a government or its military forces. Political prisoners are often referred to as detainees, as are people captured by armed forces. Legally, anyone who is being temporarily held or detained until they can be tried in a court is also called a detainee. An inmate or prisoner, on the other hand, has been convicted and imprisoned as part of a legal sentence. Detainee and detain come from the Latin root detinere, "to hold off or hold back."
Vocabulary lists containing detainee
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.
The team analyzed internal documents and detainee records, and interviewed detention staff and 194 detainees.
From Los Angeles Times • May 15, 2026
At one point, Levin said, he saw a detainee using a tablet and asked how it works.
From Los Angeles Times • May 12, 2026
When a detainee is located, it is sometimes possible to use the Russian prison administration's online platform to write to them.
From Barron's • May 8, 2026
Draconian policies and skyrocketing detainee populations coupled with lack of oversight and worsening conditions in the detention facilities are driving this surge, which seems set to continue.
From Slate • Mar. 19, 2026
The detainee who is wise enough to realize this will never find any cause for complaint, but only all conceivable help, to erase the memory of what he had been accused of.
From My Life and My Efforts by Olesch, Gunther
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.
