detainee

noun

Definition of detaineenext
as in defendant

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Example Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of detainee On the Supreme Court, Kavanaugh was part of the 7-2 majority that in 2022 ruled against a Guantanamo Bay detainee who had been tortured by the CIA abroad and sought information about his treatment. — Maureen Groppe, USA Today, 9 Sep. 2026 New publications include a maximalist thriller set in Jamaica, another entry from horror phenom Tananarive Due, and a memoir from former ICE detainee Mahmoud Khalil. — Theara Coleman, TheWeek, 4 Sep. 2026 The waits have been particularly long in parts of Mississippi and Louisiana, where federal judges have usually taken three months or more to decide whether a detainee should be released. — Carla Astudillo, ProPublica, 3 Sep. 2026 Rynn directed questions about whether a detainee had been admitted to the hospital to ICE. — Laura Tillman, Hartford Courant, 31 Aug. 2026 See All Example Sentences for detainee
Recent Examples of Synonyms for detainee
  1. defendant
  2. arrestee
  3. offender
  4. suspect
  5. fish
  6. criminal
Noun
  • Both Seaver and his company, Squadron Augmented Protection Services LLC, are the defendants in the lawsuit.
    — Andrea Flores, Los Angeles Times, 8 Oct. 2026
  • At Wednesday’s hearing, Paul described Niembro as the most culpable of the four defendants and Ramirez as second, while acknowledging that Ramirez’s cooperation justified a significantly shorter sentence.
    — Antonio María Delgado, Miami Herald, 7 Oct. 2026
Definition of defendant
Noun
  • In Palatine, after a police officer helped agents physically restrain an arrestee in front of an angry crowd, his department said the cop’s actions were a necessary response to deescalate a tense situation.
    — Caroline Kubzansky, Chicago Tribune, 11 Sep. 2026
  • Throughout this process, every arrestee is presumed innocent — and because of that, First Appearance is not about punishment, despite some misconceptions.
    — Corey B. Friedman, Sun Sentinel, 9 Aug. 2026
Definition of arrestee
Noun
  • Those illicit techniques include attaching a GPS tracker to a car or using cell-tower data to track a potential offender.
    — Rafael A. Mangual, Washington Post, 2 Oct. 2026
  • The repeat violent offender that attacked multiple women in Dilworth should have never been on the streets.
    — Mary Ramsey, Charlotte Observer, 2 Oct. 2026
Definition of offender
Noun
  • An officer arrested the suspect after spotting him walking alone on a street in Naha's entertainment district late Saturday, Kyodo said.
    — Arkansas Online, Arkansas Online, 5 Oct. 2026
  • An officer arrested the suspect after spotting him walking alone on a street in Naha’s entertainment district late Saturday, Kyodo said.
    — Mari Yamaguchi, Chicago Tribune, 4 Oct. 2026
Definition of suspect
Noun
  • Across the hall, all-day restaurant Café Romano has a menu replete with local and regional delights like pizza mortadella (do not miss it) and myriad pastas as well as a good steak and fish of the day.
    — Condé Nast, Condé Nast Traveler, 6 Oct. 2026
  • Ellison’s Skydance bought out Paramount for $8 billion just last year, and set its sights on Warner — an even bigger fish — very soon after.
    — ABC News, ABC News, 6 Oct. 2026
Definition of fish
Noun
  • The Financial Action Task Force, the global money-laundering watchdog, has warned that criminals exploit citizenship and residency programs to conceal their identities, launder illicit wealth and evade justice.
    — Arkansas Online, Arkansas Online, 3 Oct. 2026
  • The real risk is that a criminal could forge your signature on a deed or trick you into signing paperwork that transfers ownership, then file that document with the local office that maintains property records.
    — Kurt Knutsson, FOXNews.com, 3 Oct. 2026
Definition of criminal

Browse Nearby Words

detained
detainee
detainees
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Cite this Entry

“Detainee.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/detainee. Accessed 9 Oct. 2026.

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