as in delayed
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1
as in arrested
to take or keep (someone) in confinement by authority of law
Police detained the suspect.
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2
as in slowed
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 detained
Rebecca Schneid, Time, 9 Nov. 2025
His remarks come after reports that priests and pastoral workers have been unable to bring communion to those detained.
—Christopher Lamb, CNN Money, 8 Nov. 2025
At least one person was detained, according to the outlet.
—Alexandra Koch, FOXNews.com, 8 Nov. 2025
Silas Sampson, 22, was detained at the scene of the crash, according to police.
—Nadine El-Bawab, ABC News, 8 Nov. 2025
More recently, Waleed Al-Ibrahim was temporarily detained under orders of current de facto ruler Crown Prince Mohammad bin Salman as part of a 2018 corruption probe.
—Deena Sabry, Miami Herald, 7 Nov. 2025
An Irish citizen and United States green card holder will spend Thanksgiving in Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) custody, four months after she was detained in Chicago over misdemeanors from over a decade ago.
—Dan Gooding, MSNBC Newsweek, 7 Nov. 2025
Combined with the numbers injured, detained or tortured, at least one percent of the Strip’s population suffered first-hand from Israeli violence during the first occupation.
—Literary Hub, 3 Nov. 2025
Arrests of the 37- and 38-year-old come nearly a week after two others charged for the robbery were detained.
—Karissa Waddick, USA Today, 2 Nov. 2025
Verb
Santillana Galeano is currently detained at an ICE facility in Clark County, Indiana, according to her attorney.
—Recent Examples of Synonyms for detained
Adjective
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And when sunrise was artificially delayed by three hours, the rate of the finches' singing intensified and commenced sooner compared with non-delayed sunrises.—
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Identity data from incidents like this is frequently reused later for delayed fraud.—
Verb
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Adolescence follows a 13-year-old boy, Jamie Miller (Cooper), who is accused and arrested for murdering a teenage girl in his class.—
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Local officials have called for immigration authorities to leave the city and for the officer behind the shooting to be arrested.—
Verb
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O’Hara said city police officers have responded to calls about cars abandoned because their drivers have been apprehended by immigration enforcement.—
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Timmons was apprehended on December 17, 2025, taken to Carroll County Central Booking, and served with a warrant.—
Adjective
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The tax collector of the town of Granby has slated them for public auction to satisfy delinquent taxes and charges under state law, according to the town.—
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The delinquent financing totals $21 million, Santa Clara County real estate records show.—
Cite this Entry
“Detained.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/detained. Accessed 12 Jan. 2026.
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