1
as in arresting
to take or keep (someone) in confinement by authority of law
Police detained the suspect.
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2
as in delaying
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 detaining
Those groups have been active in the streets, detaining opponents and reinforcing regime authority through intimidation.
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Efrat Lachter, FOXNews.com, 6 Jan. 2026
Venezuela’s government launched a far-reaching crackdown after Maduro’s ouster, detaining journalists and civilians and sending armed gangs to the streets.
—María Luisa Paúl, Washington Post, 6 Jan. 2026
Already, violence surrounding the protests has killed at least 35 people with authorities detaining more than 1,200 others, activists abroad say.
—Jon Gambrell, Los Angeles Times, 6 Jan. 2026
That pattern was clear in September, when federal agents carried out a militarized raid on a Chicago apartment complex, detaining 37 immigrants, most without criminal records.
—Anabel Mendoza, Chicago Tribune, 2 Jan. 2026
Kilmar Abrego Garcia — who was mistakenly deported to El Salvador in March — will remain free on supervised release until at least the end of the year, after a Maryland judge on Monday extended her order barring the government from detaining and deporting him again.
—Jacob Rosen, CBS News, 22 Dec. 2025
Jonathan Ernst/Reuters Immigration and Customs Enforcement is barred from re-detaining Salvadoran native Kilmar Abrego Garcia through the Christmas holiday, the federal judge in his immigration case said Monday.
—Arthur Jones Ii, ABC News, 22 Dec. 2025
Video published on YouTube by the Figueroa family shows immigration agents detaining a man on a city street while a handful of passersby protest the arrest.
—Michael Loria, USA Today, 4 Nov. 2025
The vehicle is seen parked near others that federal agents were seen using while detaining a person.
—Ximena Bustillo, NPR, 29 Oct. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for detaining
Verb
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The arresting officer’s injuries did not require medical attention, Frasier told the Idaho Statesman by email.—
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The government is also still cracking down on dissent, arresting people for celebrating Maduro’s capture.—
Verb
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Since oxygen is the culprit, the trick to delaying the browning process is to shield the flesh from oxygen exposure.—
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But a weaker-than-expected first quarterly earnings report in September was followed a week later by a testing explosion that destroyed a rocket stage — delaying an upcoming launch — and sent the company’s stock plummeting to about $20.—
Verb
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Protesters in Minneapolis have since flooded the streets in the thousands, and ICE agents have responded by apprehending some, shoving others to the ground, and spraying chemical irritants in their faces.—
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While our immigration enforcement should be focused on apprehending and prosecuting violent criminals to make our communities safer, these ICE actions are doing the opposite and making our state less safe.—
Verb
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But seizing current oil production is one thing; overhauling Venezuela's entire oil industry would be another.—
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Trump has occasionally discussed seizing Greenland since his first term but few initially took his threats seriously.—
Cite this Entry
“Detaining.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/detaining. Accessed 13 Jan. 2026.
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