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
Marina Johnson, The Courier-Journal, 19 Apr. 2024
Simple assault is a misdemeanor punishable by up to 6 months in jail and fines of up to $1,000 fine, according to the California Penal Code.
—Kevin Dolak, The Hollywood Reporter, 19 Apr. 2024
She is set to be released from jail on that conviction.
—Carol Marbin Miller and, Miami Herald, 18 Apr. 2024
According to jail logs, the suspect also faces charges of possessing drug paraphernalia.
—Ishani Desai, Sacramento Bee, 17 Apr. 2024
That first offense can result in up to six months in jail or a $500 fine.
—Joseph Hernandez, Kansas City Star, 17 Apr. 2024
Kimmel pointed out the threat of jail time, then played a clip of his legal spokesperson, Alina Habba, being asked if her boss was worried about spending time behind bars for violating his gag order.
—Charisma Madarang, Rolling Stone, 17 Apr. 2024
The Latah County Sheriff’s Office, which manages the jail and provides the bailiffs for court, has not experienced any other cost increases associated with Kohberger or the case, jail personnel told the Statesman by email.
—Kevin Fixler, Idaho Statesman, 17 Apr. 2024
The real Woods ultimately spent 428 days in jail and 147 days in a mental hospital before his release.
—Dell Cameron Andrew Couts, WIRED, 6 Apr. 2024
Mujib Mashal, New York Times, 19 Apr. 2024
The Wagners have been jailed since their arrests in November 2018.
—The Enquirer, 16 Apr. 2024
Morgan Wallen was arrested and jailed on Sunday night (April 7) in Nashville after the chart-topping country singer allegedly hurled a chair off the six-story roof of a popular bar on the city’s bustling Broadway street.
—Gil Kaufman, Billboard, 8 Apr. 2024
Even members of Bukele’s inner circle have been jailed: last August, Alejandro Muyshondt, a former security adviser to the President, was detained after accusing a congressman in Bukele’s party of being connected to the drug trade.
—Danielle MacKey, The New Yorker, 5 Apr. 2024
On Thursday, court records showed, Adams remained jailed in Alabama awaiting arraignment on the charges.
—USA TODAY, 4 Apr. 2024
He has been jailed since November 2023, when jurors convicted him of seven counts, including obstruction of the Jan. 6 joint session of Congress that certified Joe Biden's 2020 electoral victory.
—CBS News, 3 Apr. 2024
Roughly 1% of the country’s population is estimated to have been jailed.
—Laura Gersony, The Arizona Republic, 1 Apr. 2024
The precise number of Americans jailed in Russia is unclear, but the cases of Gershkovich and Whelan have received the most attention.
—Democrat-Gazette Staff From Wire Reports, arkansasonline.com, 30 Mar. 2024
Noun
Second time offenders and those with larger amounts of marijuana are felony offenses, and would result in greater jail time and fines, according to NORML.
—Marina Johnson, The Courier-Journal, 19 Apr. 2024
Simple assault is a misdemeanor punishable by up to 6 months in jail and fines of up to $1,000 fine, according to the California Penal Code.
—Kevin Dolak, The Hollywood Reporter, 19 Apr. 2024
She is set to be released from jail on that conviction.
—Carol Marbin Miller and, Miami Herald, 18 Apr. 2024
According to jail logs, the suspect also faces charges of possessing drug paraphernalia.
—Ishani Desai, Sacramento Bee, 17 Apr. 2024
That first offense can result in up to six months in jail or a $500 fine.
—Joseph Hernandez, Kansas City Star, 17 Apr. 2024
Kimmel pointed out the threat of jail time, then played a clip of his legal spokesperson, Alina Habba, being asked if her boss was worried about spending time behind bars for violating his gag order.
—Charisma Madarang, Rolling Stone, 17 Apr. 2024
The Latah County Sheriff’s Office, which manages the jail and provides the bailiffs for court, has not experienced any other cost increases associated with Kohberger or the case, jail personnel told the Statesman by email.
—Kevin Fixler, Idaho Statesman, 17 Apr. 2024
The real Woods ultimately spent 428 days in jail and 147 days in a mental hospital before his release.
—Dell Cameron Andrew Couts, WIRED, 6 Apr. 2024
Verb
Independent journalists who do question his policies have been jailed or subjected to legal harassment.
—Mujib Mashal, New York Times, 19 Apr. 2024
The Wagners have been jailed since their arrests in November 2018.
—The Enquirer, 16 Apr. 2024
Morgan Wallen was arrested and jailed on Sunday night (April 7) in Nashville after the chart-topping country singer allegedly hurled a chair off the six-story roof of a popular bar on the city’s bustling Broadway street.
—Gil Kaufman, Billboard, 8 Apr. 2024
Even members of Bukele’s inner circle have been jailed: last August, Alejandro Muyshondt, a former security adviser to the President, was detained after accusing a congressman in Bukele’s party of being connected to the drug trade.
—Danielle MacKey, The New Yorker, 5 Apr. 2024
On Thursday, court records showed, Adams remained jailed in Alabama awaiting arraignment on the charges.
—USA TODAY, 4 Apr. 2024
He has been jailed since November 2023, when jurors convicted him of seven counts, including obstruction of the Jan. 6 joint session of Congress that certified Joe Biden's 2020 electoral victory.
—CBS News, 3 Apr. 2024
Roughly 1% of the country’s population is estimated to have been jailed.
—Laura Gersony, The Arizona Republic, 1 Apr. 2024
The precise number of Americans jailed in Russia is unclear, but the cases of Gershkovich and Whelan have received the most attention.
—Democrat-Gazette Staff From Wire Reports, arkansasonline.com, 30 Mar. 2024
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 23 Apr. 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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