detaineede‧tain‧ee /ˌdiːteɪˈniː/ noun [countable] formal 
Examples
ExamplesEXAMPLES FROM OTHER DICTIONARIES
Thesaurus- According to a recent report, many detainees claim that police have mistreated them.
- The government has ordered the trial of all detainees within six months.
- All 641 detainees at Bourdj Omar Driss were released by June 8.
- Rangoon-based diplomats were reported as saying that the number of political detainees was much higher than the official figure.
- Rather than inciting its detainees to try and get out, Le Portalet probably taunted them with the impossibility of such a thing.
- The detainees have been turned over to the federal attorney general's office and couldn't be reached for comment.
- The prison's 1,300 inmates - many of them political detainees - were reported to have been released.
- Torture is still being used to intimidate detainees.
- Women detainees are particularly vulnerable to having their needs ignored.
- Women detainees often get inadequate medical care.
THESAURUS► prisoner
Collocations someone who is kept in a prison as a punishment for a crime, or while they are waiting for their trial: · Prisoners may be locked in their cells for twenty-two hours a day.· a prisoner serving a life sentence for murder
► convict especially written someone who has been found guilty of a crime and sent to a prison. Convict is used especially about someone who is sent to prison for a long time. It is more commonly used in historical descriptions, or in the phrase an escaped convict: · The convicts were sent from England to Australia.· Police were hunting for an escaped convict.· Low-risk convicts help to fight forest fires and clean up public lands.
► inmate someone who is kept in a prison or a mental hospital: · Some inmates are allowed to have special privileges.· He was described by a fellow inmate as a quiet man.
► captive especially literary someone who is kept somewhere and not allowed to go free, especially in a war or fighting. Captive is a rather formal word which is used especially in literature: · Their objective was to disarm the enemy and release the captives.· She was held captive (=kept as a prisoner) in the jungle for over three years.
► prisoner of war a soldier, member of the navy etc who is caught by the enemy during a war and kept in the enemy’s country: · My grandad was a prisoner of war in Germany.· They agreed to release two Iranian prisoners of war.
► hostage someone who is kept somewhere as a prisoner, in order to force people to agree to do something, for example in order to get money or to achieve a political aim: · Diplomats are continuing their efforts to secure the release of the hostages.· The US hostages were held in Tehran for over a year.
► detainee/internee someone who is kept in a prison, usually because of their political views and often without a trial: · In some cases, political detainees have been beaten or mistreated.· 23,531 people passed through the camps between 1944 and 1962, including 14,647 political internees.· the detainees at Guantanamo Bay
Longman Language Activatorsomeone who is kept in a place when they do not want to be there► prisoner · My parents were very strict. Sometimes I felt like a prisoner in my own home.· It's a science fiction story about people being taken to another planet as prisoners.hold/keep somebody prisoner · Mann was held prisoner in the back of the Chevrolet and told she was going to be killed.
► prisoner of war/POW a soldier etc who is caught by the enemy during a war and kept as a prisoner: · There were general codes covering such matters as the treatment of prisoners of war.· a POW camp
► captive someone who is kept in a place illegally, especially in a war - used especially in literature: · All the captives were kept in a darkened room with their hands tied.· The rebels promised to release their captives unharmed if the government did as they said.
► hostage someone who is kept as a prisoner by an enemy country or organization, and is threatened with death or injury if that person's government or organization does not do what the enemy wants: · The terrorists say that they will kill the hostages if we don't agree to their demands.· An attempt to rescue the American hostages ended in disaster when a helicopter crashed.take somebody hostage (=make someone your hostage): · The medical team were captured and taken hostage.hold somebody hostage (=keep someone in a place as your hostage): · A British journalist was held hostage for over four years.
► detainee someone who is being kept in a place by the police while they are waiting to go to court, or so that the police can ask them questions about something illegal they may have done: · The government has ordered the trial of all detainees within six months.· According to a recent report, many detainees claim that police have mistreated them.
WORD SETS► Jail & punishmentborstal, nouncell, nounchain, nounchain gang, nounconcentration camp, nounconcurrent, adjectiveconfinement, nounconvict, nouncorrectional, adjectivecustodial sentence, nouncustody, noundeath row, noundetainee, noundetention, noundetention centre, noundrunk tank, noundungeon, nounfetter, verbfetters, noungaol, gaoler, noungovernor, nounguard, verbgulag, nounhandcuff, verbhandcuffs, nounincarcerate, verbinmate, nouninside, adverbintern, verbinternee, nouninternment, nounjailbreak, nounlabour camp, nounlifer, nounmanacle, nounold lag, nounopen prison, nounoubliette, nounparole, nounparole, verbpen, nounpenal, adjectivepenitentiary, nounpillory, nounpokey, nounpolitical prisoner, nounporridge, nounpreventive detention, nounprison, nounprison camp, nounprisoner, nounprisoner of conscience, nounprisoner of war, nounprison visitor, nounreformatory, nounremand home, nounremission, nounserve, verbshackle, nounshackle, verbsolitary, nounsolitary confinement, nounstretch, nounthumbscrew, nounwarden, nounwarder, nounyardbird, noun
COLLOCATIONS FROM THE CORPUSADJECTIVE► political
someone who is officially kept in a prison, usually because of their political views· Rangoon-based diplomats were reported as saying that the number of political detainees was much higher than the official figure.· The prison's 1,300 inmates - many of them political detainees - were reported to have been released.· Amnesty International performs a similar function with respect to the treatment of political detainees and the international prohibition of torture.· There were calls for political detainees to be freed and chants in support of the new opposition group, New Forum.· At least one political detainee, Corporal Thomas Benefo, remains in detention without charge or trial.· Torture of political detainees became widespread and systematic after the assassination of President Sadat in October 1981.· Amnesty International opposes the detention without trial of all political detainees, including administrative detention.· He said that the figure included only 812 political detainees.