cellmate

noun

cell·​mate ˈsel-ˌmāt How to pronounce cellmate (audio)
variants or less commonly cell mate
plural cellmates also cell mates
: a person who shares a prison cell with another prisoner
When his cellmates learned that his bond had been set at $1 million (and bail at $500,000), they broke into laughter and shook their heads in disbelief.Richard Behar
Within a week, guards came by at night and told me to get ready. … I said goodbye to my cellmates and gathered my things …Clare Morgana Gillis

Examples of cellmate in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Keefe’s book also covers Adams’ internment at Long Kesh (later HMP Maze) from 1973 to 1977, his close friendship with cellmate Hughes, and pseudonymous authorship of a long-running column in An Phoblacht, the IRA newspaper of which Sinn Féin later assumed publication. Sophie Brookover, Vulture, 16 Nov. 2024 In 2003, Gonzalez's brother Jesse was sentenced to 10 years in prison for felony assault, kidnapping and torture and was later assigned as his brother's cellmate at the Montana State Prison. Samantha Stutsman, People.com, 17 Oct. 2024 One woman recounted how soldiers tortured her cellmate by administering electric shocks to her breasts and genitals, eventually leaving her unable to walk. Kim Thuy Seelinger, Foreign Affairs, 16 June 2016 One of his fellow temporary cellmates is in trouble for gambling away millions in government energy contracts, so Dwight calmly gives the guy advice in advance of a likely multiple-year sentence. Kimberly Roots, TVLine, 15 Sep. 2024 See all Example Sentences for cellmate 

Word History

First Known Use

1839, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of cellmate was in 1839

Dictionary Entries Near cellmate

Cite this Entry

“Cellmate.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/cellmate. Accessed 21 Dec. 2024.

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!