Detainer

Pronunciation varies by accent · noun

Meaning

(law) The right to keep a person, or a person's goods or property, against his will; a type of custody..

Definitions by Sense

1. (law) The right to keep a person, or a person's goods or property, against his will; a type of custody.
2. One who detains.

Example Sentences

On Monday, the federal Immigration and Customs Enforcement agency placed a similar detainer on Melvin Jovel, 18, who on Sunday was the sixth person to be arrested in the case.

Through January, immigration authorities placed detainers on an additional 1,468 people — giving federal agents the right to hold suspects who are released from jail. […] Scott Weber, the field office director for the enforcement office in Newark, said that in roughly a third of the cases, his agency would file a detainer or immigration charges; another third involved individuals who could be deported after their court cases; and the rest might be United States citizens or legal residents.

Officer Torres’s lawyer, Paul S. Missan, said on Saturday that he had been told by a prison official in Pennsylvania that a detainer was lodged against his client, meaning he was likely to face federal charges.

[…] he chatted gaily with his fair detainer, showing no inclination to escape from the bondage in which she sought to retain him.

Synonyms for detainer

Antonyms for detainer

Related Words

Word Forms

• detainers

Usage Notes

Choose a synonym only when it preserves the intended meaning, tone, and grammar of the full sentence.

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