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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.

But he couldn't believe the news when he learned the detention centre was coming to his hometown.

From BBC • Apr. 4, 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

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

AFP reporters met prisoners of war from Kenya, Togo, Cameroon and Nigeria during a visit to detention centre in Ukraine late last year.

From Barron's • Feb. 27, 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