prisoner

noun

pris·​on·​er ˈpriz-nər 

ˈpri-zᵊn-ər

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

Synonyms

• captive
• capture

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

Return Strong said the prison offered months of delay for one individual with a broken wrist and finger, limited mental health care, mold covering the shower walls, restricted visitation, took away access to fruit and stuck prisoners with years of solitary confinement. —Alex Brizee, Idaho Statesman, 19 July 2025

In a statement, Venezuela's government confirmed the release of 252 prisoners from CECOT. —Laura Romero, ABC News, 18 July 2025

The attorney had visited El Salvador and was aware of that country’s reputation for mistreating prisoners. —Melissa Sanchez, ProPublica, 18 July 2025

There was nothing sleepy about this outing, however, which offered action on three different fronts: the escaping prisoners, Pike’s confrontation with the Gorn, and Batel’s medical crisis. —Keith Phipps, Vulture, 17 July 2025

Word History

First Known Use

14th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Phrases Containing prisoner

• co-prisoner
• political prisoner
• prisoner of conscience
• prisoner of war
• prisoner's base
• take (someone) prisoner

Kids Definition

prisoner

noun

pris·​on·​er ˈpriz-nər 

-ᵊn-ər

: a person who has been captured or locked up

Legal Definition

prisoner

noun

pris·​on·​er

: a person deprived of liberty and kept under involuntary restraint, confinement, or custody

especially : one under arrest, awaiting trial, on trial, or serving a prison sentence