1
: a state of confinement or captivity
2
: a place of confinement especially for lawbreakers
specifically
: an institution (such as one under state jurisdiction) for confinement of persons convicted of serious crimes compare jail
Examples of prison in a Sentence
Noun
The state plans to build two more prisons.
He was in prison at the time.
If caught, they're all going to prison.
She was sent to prison for robbery.
He was released from prison.
He's scheduled to get out of prison next month.
Her marriage became a prison to her.
Recent Examples on the Web
Alexander Mallin, ABC News, 11 Apr. 2025
His lawyers said Mahdi's original attorneys put on a shallow case trying to spare his life that didn't call on relatives, teachers or others who knew him and ignored the impact of months spent in solitary confinement in prison as a teen.
—CBS News, 11 Apr. 2025
If convicted, Henley could spend the rest of his life in prison.
—Demicia Inman, VIBE.com, 10 Apr. 2025
The Baton Rouge rapper — who was sentenced to 23 months in prison last December while already serving time for a prescription fraud case — is back home early in Utah and has armed security patrolling his estate around the clock.
—Angel Diaz, Billboard, 10 Apr. 2025
See All Example Sentences for prison
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Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors.
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Noun
Alexander Smirnov was sentenced to six years in prison in January after pleading guilty to lying to his FBI handler about the Biden family's ties to a Ukrainian energy company -- in addition to a series of unrelated tax fraud charges.
—Alexander Mallin, ABC News, 11 Apr. 2025
His lawyers said Mahdi's original attorneys put on a shallow case trying to spare his life that didn't call on relatives, teachers or others who knew him and ignored the impact of months spent in solitary confinement in prison as a teen.
—CBS News, 11 Apr. 2025
If convicted, Henley could spend the rest of his life in prison.
—Demicia Inman, VIBE.com, 10 Apr. 2025
The Baton Rouge rapper — who was sentenced to 23 months in prison last December while already serving time for a prescription fraud case — is back home early in Utah and has armed security patrolling his estate around the clock.
—Angel Diaz, Billboard, 10 Apr. 2025
See All Example Sentences for prison
Cite this Entry
“Prison.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/prison. Accessed 27 Apr. 2025.
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