1
: a place of confinement for persons held in lawful custody
specifically
: such a place under the jurisdiction of a local government (such as a county) for the confinement of persons awaiting trial or those convicted of minor crimes compare prison
2
: confinement in a jail
sentenced to jail
Synonyms
Examples of jail in a Sentence
Noun
He was locked up in the county jail.
He was arrested and sent to jail.
He went to jail for his crimes.
He just got out of jail a few weeks ago.
He was kept in jail overnight.
Verb
threatened to jail the punks if they so much as jaywalked
Recent Examples on the Web
Alex Groth, Journal Sentinel, 8 Oct. 2024
Secret Life of Diddy – A Special Edition of 20/20, from ABC News Studios, will feature singer, rapper and actor Ray J in an interview to address recent criminal charges brought against Diddy, who remains in jail awaiting a trial.
—Etan Vlessing, The Hollywood Reporter, 7 Oct. 2024
Sarah Nelson, The Indianapolis Star, 7 Oct. 2024
The same day as Hubbard's trial, ex-U.S. marine Robert Gilman was also sentenced to more than seven years prison time for assaulting Russian officials while he was jailed on other assault charges.
—Cybele Mayes-Osterman, USA TODAY, 7 Oct. 2024
See all Example Sentences for jail 
Noun
People in jail can still vote if they haven't been convicted of a felony or treason or bribery misdemeanors, or if they're being held on bail and haven't been convicted.
—Alex Groth, Journal Sentinel, 8 Oct. 2024
Secret Life of Diddy – A Special Edition of 20/20, from ABC News Studios, will feature singer, rapper and actor Ray J in an interview to address recent criminal charges brought against Diddy, who remains in jail awaiting a trial.
—Etan Vlessing, The Hollywood Reporter, 7 Oct. 2024
Verb
James Cox was jailed on a preliminary intoxicated driving charge along with one count of endangering a passenger under 18, the Indianapolis Metropolitan Police Department announced Monday in a news release.
—Sarah Nelson, The Indianapolis Star, 7 Oct. 2024
The same day as Hubbard's trial, ex-U.S. marine Robert Gilman was also sentenced to more than seven years prison time for assaulting Russian officials while he was jailed on other assault charges.
—Cybele Mayes-Osterman, USA TODAY, 7 Oct. 2024
See all Example Sentences for jail
These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'jail.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.
Dictionary Entries Near jail
Cite this Entry
“Jail.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/jail. Accessed 17 Oct. 2024.
Copy CitationLegal Definition
jail
noun
: a place of confinement for persons held in lawful custody
specifically
: such a place under the jurisdiction of a local government (as a county) for the confinement of persons awaiting trial or those convicted of minor crimes compare house of correction, house of detention, lockup, penitentiary, prison
jail
transitive verb
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