How to Use detain in a Sentence

detain

verb
  • They were detained by the police for questioning.
  • He claimed he had been illegally detained.
  • Unexpected business had detained her.
  • Bolton was not detained and has not been charged with any crimes.
    — Isaac Saul, MSNBC Newsweek, 1 Sep. 2025
  • The sister of one of his servers was detained.
    — Wendi C. Thomas, MLK50, 17 Apr. 2026
  • The two were detained for over a week this past winter.
    — Frankie McLister, CBS News, 11 Apr. 2026
  • He was found near the building and detained.
    — Bay City News Service, Mercury News, 25 May 2026
  • The driver of the car was detained.
    — Milena Malaver, Miami Herald, 4 Apr. 2026
  • With the charges dismissed, he will no longer be detained.
    — Antonio Pequeño Iv, Forbes.com, 22 May 2026
  • He was swiftly detained and fined.
    — ABC News, 21 Mar. 2026
  • Even while detained, Gleizes has been trying to do his job.
    — Dave Skretta, Chicago Tribune, 22 June 2026
  • The shooter was detained there.
    — Emerson Clarridge, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 6 Apr. 2026
  • He was detained by police about a block from the restaurant.
    — Noe Padilla, IndyStar, 22 Sep. 2025
  • The man was detained and taken to the crime scene, police said.
    — Shambhavi Rimal, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 31 May 2026
  • Nor should his father, Zia, have been detained last year.
    — Staff Report, Hartford Courant, 20 Apr. 2026
  • No one was detained and there have been no reports of any injuries.
    — Janay Reece, CBS News, 22 June 2026
  • That's when they were detained and put on a plane to Michigan.
    — CBS News, 25 Apr. 2026
  • The two men who had been detained were quickly released.
    — Eric Tucker, Twin Cities, 13 Sep. 2025
  • One of the pair had been trying to fly out of France when detained.
    — Alessandro Parodi, USA Today, 30 Oct. 2025
  • The ages of those detained by the police were unclear.
    — Noe Padilla, USA Today, 30 Mar. 2026
  • No one wants to risk being detained while driving across town.
    — Wendi C. Thomas, MLK50, 17 Apr. 2026
  • Both were detained, per police.
    — Wcco Staff, CBS News, 21 Feb. 2026
  • After a short chase, she was detained, the report said.
    — Angie Dimichele, Sun Sentinel, 5 Jan. 2026
  • Deputies detained the shooter on scene, and his name has not yet been released.
    — Lisa J. Huriash, Sun Sentinel, 29 Nov. 2024
  • When each man opened the door, the tactical team detained him.
    — Ana Maria Soler, CBS News, 2 July 2026
  • Some others have been displaced, detained, or forced to flee abroad.
    — Mohammed R. Mhawish, New Yorker, 14 Oct. 2025
  • She was detained, and police found her unarmed, court records state.
    — Post-Tribune, Chicago Tribune, 30 June 2025
  • The deputies tried to detain him, but the three men ended up grappling on the ground.
    — Los Angeles Times, 11 Feb. 2022
  • Then Dennis was detained by deputies.
    — Julia Marnin, Miami Herald, 28 Oct. 2025
  • Four other activists were detained the same week.
    — Antonio María Delgado, Miami Herald, 2 Sep. 2025

Some of these examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'detain.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

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