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
Paul Sutton, Lori Sutton PRODUCERS: Paul Sutton, Lori Sutton
Twenty-four prisoners – mostly lifers – sat across from a dozen students at a maximum-security prison yard in Southern California as part of an innovative 14-week, creative writing program.
—
Matthew Carey, Deadline, 1 Nov. 2024
Clips show Harris affirming her support for federal policies that allow federal prisoners access to medical care including gender-affirming hormone treatments and, potentially, transgender surgery.
—Bill Barrow, Los Angeles Times, 1 Nov. 2024
Ikea agreed to pay millions to former prisoners who worked at German factories between 1960 and 1990.
—Sasha Rogelberg, Fortune Europe, 31 Oct. 2024
Zoom in: The plan includes a four-week pause in fighting in Gaza, the release of roughly 8 women of all ages or men over the age of 50 that are held by Hamas, and the release of several dozen Palestinian prisoners from Israeli prisons.
—Barak Ravid, Axios, 29 Oct. 2024
See all Example Sentences for prisoner 
These examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
illustrate current usage. Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of
Merriam-Webster or its editors.
Send us feedback
about these examples.
Matthew Carey, Deadline, 1 Nov. 2024
Clips show Harris affirming her support for federal policies that allow federal prisoners access to medical care including gender-affirming hormone treatments and, potentially, transgender surgery.
—Bill Barrow, Los Angeles Times, 1 Nov. 2024
Ikea agreed to pay millions to former prisoners who worked at German factories between 1960 and 1990.
—Sasha Rogelberg, Fortune Europe, 31 Oct. 2024
Zoom in: The plan includes a four-week pause in fighting in Gaza, the release of roughly 8 women of all ages or men over the age of 50 that are held by Hamas, and the release of several dozen Palestinian prisoners from Israeli prisons.
—Barak Ravid, Axios, 29 Oct. 2024
See all Example Sentences for prisoner
Articles Related to prisoner
Dictionary Entries Near prisoner
Cite this Entry
“Prisoner.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/prisoner. Accessed 17 Nov. 2024.
Copy CitationKids Definition
prisoner
noun
pris·on·er
ˈpriz-nər 
-ᵊn-ər
: a person who has been captured or locked up
Love words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
Share