parole

1 of 2

noun

pa·​role pə-ˈrōl How to pronounce parole (audio)
1
: a promise made with or confirmed by a pledge of one's honor
especially : the promise of a prisoner of war to fulfill stated conditions in consideration of his release
2
: a watchword given only to officers of the guard and of the day
3
: a conditional release of a prisoner serving an indeterminate or unexpired sentence
4
a
: language viewed as a specific individual usage : performance
b
: a linguistic act compare langue
parole adjective

parole

2 of 2

verb

paroled; paroling

transitive verb

: to release (a prisoner) on parole

Examples of parole in a Sentence

Noun The prisoner will be eligible for parole after three years. She robbed a bank while out on parole. The prisoner was released on parole.
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.
Noun
And for guns recovered from crimes involving violations of court orders (such as those in domestic violence cases), parole or probation, 22% were ghost guns. Anita Chabria, Los Angeles Times, 27 Mar. 2025 In a statement to Rolling Stone Thursday, Selena’s family and partner Chris Pérez shared their gratitude for the Texas Board of Pardons and Paroles’ decision to deny Yolanda Saldívar’s parole request. Tomás Mier, Rolling Stone, 27 Mar. 2025
Verb
When the Dispatch caught up with Nesbit nearly 13 years after his capture, he had been paroled to St. Paul and was working as a custodian for a local business. Nick Woltman, Twin Cities, 15 Mar. 2025 The bill honors Laken Riley, the woman killed by a Venezuelan migrant who was arrested for shoplifting ahead of the attack and paroled in the country. Mychael Schnell, The Hill, 13 Jan. 2025 See All Example Sentences for parole

Word History

Etymology

Noun

borrowed from French, "speech, expression in words, word, promise," going back to Old French, going back to Gallo-Romance *paraula, going back to Late Latin parabola "comparison, allegory, proverb, discourse, speech"; (sense 4) after the use of parole in this sense by Ferdinand de saussure in Cours de linguistique générale (1916) — more at parable

Verb

derivative of parole entry 1

First Known Use

Noun

1531, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Verb

1776, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of parole was in 1531

Browse Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Parole.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/parole. Accessed 1 Apr. 2025.

Kids Definition

parole

1 of 2 noun
pa·​role pə-ˈrōl How to pronounce parole (audio)
: an early release of a prisoner who meets specified requirements

parole

2 of 2 verb
paroled; paroling
: to release on parole
parolee
pə-ˌrō-ˈlē
noun

Medical Definition

parole

noun
pa·​role pə-ˈrōl How to pronounce parole (audio)
: a conditional release given to a psychiatric patient in a hospital before discharge enabling the patient to visit freely various designated areas on the hospital grounds or beyond its limits
parolable adjective
parole transitive verb
paroled; paroling

Legal Definition

parole

noun
pa·​role pə-ˈrōl How to pronounce parole (audio)
: a conditional release of a prisoner who has served part of a sentence and who remains under the control of and in the legal custody of a parole authority compare probation
Etymology

Noun

Old French, speech, word, prisoner's word of honor to fulfill stated conditions, from Late Latin parabola speech, parable, from Greek parabolē comparison

More from Merriam-Webster on parole

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
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