1
as in apprehends
to take or keep (someone) in confinement by authority of law
Police detained the suspect.
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2
as in delays
to keep (someone or something) from proceeding or progressing
She sent word that she had been unavoidably detained. The plane was detained for hours due to inclement weather.
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Recent Examples of detains
What are your rights if ICE detains you?
—
Laura Daniella Sepulveda, AZCentral.com, 29 Jan. 2026
Independent groups like Human Rights Watch say the Venezuelan government intimidates human rights advocates, arrests and detains protesters and harasses journalists.
—Syra Ortiz Blanes, Miami Herald, 14 Jan. 2026
The Pinault family owns 42 percent of shares in Kering and detains 59 percent of voting rights.
—Joelle Diderich, Footwear News, 9 Sep. 2025
The play is set in the real-life town of Lumpkin, whose economy has become reliant on a private prison that detains immigrants.
—Martha Ross, Mercury News, 7 Aug. 2025
Laura Daniella Sepulveda, AZCentral.com, 29 Jan. 2026
Independent groups like Human Rights Watch say the Venezuelan government intimidates human rights advocates, arrests and detains protesters and harasses journalists.
—Syra Ortiz Blanes, Miami Herald, 14 Jan. 2026
The Pinault family owns 42 percent of shares in Kering and detains 59 percent of voting rights.
—Joelle Diderich, Footwear News, 9 Sep. 2025
The play is set in the real-life town of Lumpkin, whose economy has become reliant on a private prison that detains immigrants.
—Martha Ross, Mercury News, 7 Aug. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for detains
Verb
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Though the team immediately apprehends a suspect, the Marshals end up taking criticism from both sides.—
Saman Shafiq,
USA Today,
21 Mar. 2026
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Neighbors are now living in fear, looking on as ICE apprehends people of color across Minnesota.—
Jason Rantala,
CBS News,
19 Jan. 2026
Verb
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Frey vetoed the ordinance, arguing that an eviction pause does not actually provide relief and only delays an inevitable problem.—
Aki Nace,
CBS News,
21 Apr. 2026
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The plan also maintains full scope Medi-Cal for asylees and other immigrant groups who were cut out of Medicaid by the federal government and delays Medi-Cal premiums for undocumented immigrants that would otherwise begin on July 1, 2027 to July 1, 2028.—
Kate Wolffe,
Sacbee.com,
16 Apr. 2026
Verb
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Devlin throws a punch at Stone when the chief arrests him for drunken driving.—
Sandra Dallas,
Denver Post,
19 Apr. 2026
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The horrid image in the news of a column of smoke rising above the city of Tehran — an abyss of darkness against the gray sky — arrests my attention.—
Babak Rahimi,
San Diego Union-Tribune,
14 Apr. 2026
Verb
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The process that allowed the rotifer to survive is known as cryptobiosis, a biological state in which metabolic activity slows to nearly zero.—
Brittany Miller,
FOXNews.com,
25 Apr. 2026
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During dry months, the water warms and slows — conditions that favor janitor fish over native species, Rosleine said.—
ABC News,
ABC News,
24 Apr. 2026
Verb
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Rather than intercepting income at the source, a bank levy freezes and seizes funds that are already sitting in your checking or savings account.—
Angelica Leicht,
CBS News,
10 Apr. 2026
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Like any well-meaning grifter, Anna (Halle Bailey) seizes the opportunity to hop a flight to picturesque Tuscany after meeting a handsome Italian stranger with an empty villa.—
Rebecca Aizin,
PEOPLE,
10 Apr. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Detains.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/detains. Accessed 2 May. 2026.
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