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detainment

detainment

7 6.7
Being held by police or officials for a short time
  • noun
  • /dɪˈteɪnmənt/
translation icon : detención
  • The details of his detainment are pretty murky.
  • detainment zone
  • arrest and detainment
  • detainment center

Just to just to at least censure child detainment by the IDF.

Examples

  • When my mother heard, she drove to see the prosecutor with me as a witness to make him understand that no unlawful detainment had taken place.

  • Community-based continuums of supervision, programs, and services must be funded and incentivized as an alternative to incarceration or detainment.

    Blog text (7)
  • You men will assist me in his detainment.

  • I am sure you are aware of the responsibility I have for the detainment of every prisoner in this place.

  • In the meantime, the detainment provision cannot legally be used.

    Blog text (33)
  • Coerced confessions and detainment for seven months are not the building blocks of a democratic society.

    Academic text (1997)
  • You're under arrest for the illegal detainment of Sig Gustafson.

  • The lawyer argued that the suspect's detainment violated his rights due to lack of evidence.

  • After his detainment for questioning, the police released him without charges.

  • The detainment of individuals without trial has raised serious concerns among human rights advocates.

Synonyms

arrest
vsdetainment
2.7

The act of detaining someone by the police

also describes the short held state rather than only the act of taking control
custody
vsdetainment
  • Specialized
370 3.9

Being held by the police after an arrest

is mainly the act or state of short confinement rather than who holds someone
detention
vsdetainment
155 3.9

A situation in which someone is kept and not allowed to leave, often by police until a decision is made

is used for short periods of custody rather than formal punishment
captivity
vsdetainment
102 3.7

A state of being kept somewhere and not allowed to leave

is usually short-term holding rather than long or ongoing restriction by others
confinement
vsdetainment
80 5.9

A state of being kept in a small closed space and unable to move freely

focuses on short periods in custody rather than long or general restriction
taking into custody
vsdetainment
  • Formal
34 5.4

Holding someone after the police arrest them

covers both the act and the short state after an official holding
apprehension
vsdetainment
17 6.1

The capture of a person by the police

is used for the short state of being held rather than the capture action itself
committal
vsdetainment
  • Formal
1 8.2

An order that sends someone to prison or a mental hospital by law

is mainly the shorter act or state of custody rather than formal legal transfer
consignment
vsdetainment
  • Archaic
1 7.9

Sending someone to prison or a mental hospital

is used more for short holding or custody rather than formal institutional placement
immurement
vsdetainment
  • Archaic
1 9.9

Shutting someone inside walls so they cannot leave

is normally a short official holding not a physical wall enclosure

Antonyms

279 1.8

An act of letting someone or something go free from being held

How Long

imprisonment
  • Formal
88 4.0
detention
155 3.9
detainment
7 6.7
hold
276 2.0

Surface Forms

detainment singular
detainments plural

Morphology

detainment = detain (transparent) = detain + ment

A regular noun formed from the verb 'detain' with the suffix '-ment' indicating the act or state of detaining.

Etymology

Detainment comes from the verb detain, made of the parts de- 'away' and tenere 'to hold', the same 'hold' you see in words like tenant. So detainment is being 'held' or kept for a time, which is why it means being kept in custody.