detainer noun2 •The right to keep a person, or a person's goods or property, against his will; a type of custody.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. — 2007 •One who detains.[…] he chatted gaily with his fair detainer, showing no inclination to escape from the bondage in which she sought to retain him. — 1840 formsdetainers
