prisoner

noun

pris·​on·​er ˈpriz-nər 

ˈpri-zᵊn-ər

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

Synonyms

• captive
• capture
• internee

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

And in instead of pay—which for some is pennies per hour—the prisoners’ wages are often garnished to pay for things like their own room and board and court fees to appeal their cases. —Doug Melville, Forbes, 9 Jan. 2025

But agreeing to release an Afghan prisoner at Guantánamo could be politically trickier for Biden, who has come under withering criticism from lawmakers over the chaotic withdrawal of U.S.-led forces from Afghanistan in August 2021. —Mushtaq Yusufzai, NBC News, 8 Jan. 2025

The year before, the prison had been the site of two back-to-back riots in which inmates had burned mattresses to protest inadequate medical care and the persistent use of solitary confinement to punish prisoners who complained. —Jesse Hyde, Rolling Stone, 4 Jan. 2025

So how does a defendant or a prisoner ask the president for help? —Taylor Wilson, USA TODAY, 3 Jan. 2025

Word History

First Known Use

14th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Phrases Containing prisoner

• co-prisoner
• political prisoner
• prisoner of conscience
• prisoner of war
• prisoner's base
• take (someone) prisoner

Kids Definition

prisoner

noun

pris·​on·​er ˈpriz-nər 

-ᵊn-ər

: a person who has been captured or locked up

Legal Definition

prisoner

noun

pris·​on·​er

: a person deprived of liberty and kept under involuntary restraint, confinement, or custody

especially : one under arrest, awaiting trial, on trial, or serving a prison sentence