1
as in jail
a place of confinement for persons held in lawful custody
the ongoing debate whether drug users should go to prison
Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in captivity
the act of confining or the state of being confined
the view that prison does nothing to cure the criminal—if anything, it makes him worse
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
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.
Recent Examples of prison
Blagojevich was convicted in 2011 and later sentenced to 14 years in prison.
—
Npr Staff, NPR, 11 Feb. 2025
In fact, 10 minutes ahead of the blast, Odell breached the prison computer system’s firewall to download 1,000 terabytes of encrypted information.
—Matt Webb Mitovich, TVLine, 10 Feb. 2025
He has been sentenced him to eight years in prison alongside a series of physical punishments.
—Sara Merican, Deadline, 31 Jan. 2025
He was also sentenced in May, to 27 months in prison.
—Dan Perry, Newsweek, 31 Jan. 2025
See all Example Sentences for prison 
Npr Staff, NPR, 11 Feb. 2025
In fact, 10 minutes ahead of the blast, Odell breached the prison computer system’s firewall to download 1,000 terabytes of encrypted information.
—Matt Webb Mitovich, TVLine, 10 Feb. 2025
He has been sentenced him to eight years in prison alongside a series of physical punishments.
—Sara Merican, Deadline, 31 Jan. 2025
He was also sentenced in May, to 27 months in prison.
—Dan Perry, Newsweek, 31 Jan. 2025
See all Example Sentences for prison
Recent Examples of Synonyms for prison
Noun
-
There is no criminal complaint, so nobody is at risk of jail time.—
James Hibberd,
The Hollywood Reporter,
11 Feb. 2025
-
The plea was made in a deal with Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg’s office that included no jail time or restitution but a three-year conditional discharge.—
Molly Crane-Newman,
New York Daily News,
11 Feb. 2025
Noun
-
Yarden’s wife, Shiri, and their two young sons, Ariel and Kfir, remain in Hamas captivity.—
Rachel Wolf,
Fox News,
8 Feb. 2025
-
Negotiations have begun for a second phase of a ceasefire deal that would end the war with Hamas and return all Israeli hostages from captivity in Gaza.—
Daniel Estrin,
NPR,
3 Feb. 2025
Noun
-
In 2015, Ulbricht was handed a life sentence for his involvement in the enterprise and is currently incarcerated at a high-security penitentiary in Tucson, Arizona.—
Kristen Waggoner,
Newsweek,
21 Jan. 2025
-
He was freed on parole from the Terre Haute, Indiana, federal penitentiary on Nov. 30, 1948, after serving 32 months of his five-year prison sentence.—
Kori Rumore,
Chicago Tribune,
17 Jan. 2025
Noun
-
Human rights groups say Uyghurs and other predominantly Muslim minorities have faced a raft of human rights abuses in the region, including being placed in mass internment camps.—
Nathaniel Meyersohn,
CNN,
5 Feb. 2025
-
The book’s horrors—climate catastrophe, internment camps, genocidal wars, high-tech surveillance—are too familiar to serve as prophecy.—
Adam Begley,
The Atlantic,
4 Feb. 2025
Noun
-
Released in 2015 — three years into his incarceration — Viking became Kartel’s fourth consecutive project to reach the top 10 of Reggae Albums (No. 3).—
Kyle Denis,
Billboard,
30 Jan. 2025
-
Funds will be steered toward expanding its payor and health system partnerships and providing more services to high-risk populations, including adults in the criminal justice system, where the company sees telehealth as a means of providing consistent care from incarceration to reentry.—
Erin Brodwin,
Axios,
29 Jan. 2025
Noun
-
While the crew endured the challenges of confinement for the sake of science, their work embodies a larger purpose: enabling future explorers to journey farther and stay longer.—
Anastasia Stepanova,
Space.com,
2 Feb. 2025
-
Sentenced to 3 years in prison, with the first year on home confinement.—
Kristen Waggoner,
Newsweek,
21 Jan. 2025
Thesaurus Entries Near prison
Cite this Entry
“Prison.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/prison. Accessed 20 Feb. 2025.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
Share