- indifference to other people or to one's surroundings; aloofness
- freedom from self-interest or bias; disinterest
- the act of disengaging or separating something
- the condition of being disengaged or separated; disconnection
- the separation of a small unit from its main body, esp of ships or troops
- the unit so detached
- Canadian a branch office of a police force
WordReference Random House Learner's Dictionary of American English © 2026
de•tach•ment /dɪˈtætʃmənt/USA pronunciation
n.
WordReference Random House Unabridged Dictionary of American English © 2026- [uncountable] the act of detaching or the condition of being detached.
- aloofness or indifference:[uncountable]His air of detachment caused him to lose a lot of friends.
- freedom from bias;
objectivity:[uncountable]The judge needs detachment to arrive at a fair verdict. - Military a unit of troops or ships detached for a special mission:[countable]a special detachment to rescue the prisoners.
de•tach•ment
(di tach′mənt),USA pronunciation n.
- the act of detaching.
- the condition of being detached.
- aloofness, as from worldly affairs or from the concerns of others.
- freedom from prejudice or partiality.
- the act of sending out a detached force of troops or naval ships.
- the body of troops or ships so detached.
- French détachement. See detach, -ment
- 1660–70
- 3. coolness, indifference, unconcern.
Collins Concise English Dictionary © HarperCollins Publishers::
detachment /dɪˈtætʃmənt/ n
'detachment' also found in these entries (note: many are not synonyms or translations):
draft
- flanker
- patrol
- picket
- press gang
- rearguard
- VAD
- withdrawal
- world
- aesthetic distance
- autism
- clinical
- corporal's guard
- deadpan
- DET
- firing squad
- gesellschaft
- irony
- outpost
- party
- provost guard
- psychic distance
- remove
- rout
- solitude
- Sonderkommando
- squadron