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

While Madea rehabilitates her co-prisoners, her family on the outside struggles with the usual family issues. —Declan Gallagher, Entertainment Weekly, 14 Sep. 2025

Bush described this as a way to support employment, family ties, and stability, recognizing that reentry affects not just former prisoners but also public safety. —Walter Pavlo, Forbes.com, 13 Sep. 2025

Every trip to the electric chair is horrifying; a sequence where an intentionally botched execution ignites a still-living prisoner's screaming head in ghoulish blue flames is up there with any supernatural fright King's ever conceived. —James Grebey, Time, 12 Sep. 2025

Catholic priest Maximilian Kolbe (Polish actor Marcin Kwaśny) volunteers to die in place of another prisoner, joining nine others condemned by the Nazis, and urges hope and resistance through faith inside the suffocating cell. —Jill Goldsmith, Deadline, 12 Sep. 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