detention center
Americannoun
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a facility maintained by the civil authorities for persons charged with a crime, immigrants awaiting deportation rulings, or sometimes witnesses before a trial.
Other Word Forms
Noun Inflected Forms
Etymology
Origin of detention center
First recorded in 1945–50
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.
Other complaints include persistently low-quality food, isolation within the facility, and frequent transfers between Delaney Hall and other facilities, which serve to prevent organizing in the detention center.
From Salon ● Jul. 17, 2026
Separate from the aid tent, protests at the facility persist, with a grassroots group of activists maintaining a mutual aid table of their own near the detention center.
From Salon ● Jul. 17, 2026
A CAL/OSHA investigation found six violations of state code at an immigrant detention center in McFarland, Calif., leading to $104,510 in fines.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 8, 2026
The defendants planned or worked together to create shield walls and physical barriers for multiple demonstrations outside an immigration detention center, prosecutors alleged.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jun. 16, 2026
“Healing up there is much harder. I don’t know what the justice system will do with you now that you’ve burned your bridges. I’ll stop by the detention center tomorrow and we’ll talk.”
From "Touching Spirit Bear" by Ben Mikaelsen
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.
