1
: a person deprived of liberty and kept under involuntary restraint, confinement, or custody
especially
: one on trial or in prison
2
: someone restrained as if in prison
a prisoner of her own conscience
see also take-no-prisoners, take no prisoners
Examples of prisoner in a Sentence
He was captured by rebel forces and kept as their prisoner for several months before they set him free.
The families were held prisoner for four days.
Recent Examples on the Web
The talks will focus on food security, nuclear safety and the release of all prisoners and deportees.
—
Fox News, 3 June 2024
In 1994, the American nonprofit organization Photo Archive Group cleaned and cataloged more than 5,000 photographs taken of prisoners before their executions.
—Lucy McKeon, New York Times, 3 June 2024
But the suspects, their lawyers and independent experts who've reviewed the evidence in this case say the prisoners were framed.
—Lauren Frayer, NPR, 2 June 2024
One roadblock to overcome during the first phase would involve the two sides agreeing on ratio of hostages to prisoners to be released during the next phase, according to a senior Biden administration official who briefed reporters on the condition of anonymity.
—Aamer Madhani, TIME, 31 May 2024
See all Example Sentences for prisoner 
Fox News, 3 June 2024
In 1994, the American nonprofit organization Photo Archive Group cleaned and cataloged more than 5,000 photographs taken of prisoners before their executions.
—Lucy McKeon, New York Times, 3 June 2024
But the suspects, their lawyers and independent experts who've reviewed the evidence in this case say the prisoners were framed.
—Lauren Frayer, NPR, 2 June 2024
One roadblock to overcome during the first phase would involve the two sides agreeing on ratio of hostages to prisoners to be released during the next phase, according to a senior Biden administration official who briefed reporters on the condition of anonymity.
—Aamer Madhani, TIME, 31 May 2024
See all Example Sentences for prisoner
These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'prisoner.' 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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Cite this Entry
“Prisoner.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/prisoner. Accessed 8 Jun. 2024.
Copy CitationKids Definition
prisoner
noun
pris·on·er
ˈpriz-nər 
-ᵊn-ər
: a person who has been captured or locked up
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