1
: an inviolable place of refuge and protection giving shelter to criminals and debtors : sanctuary
3
a
: the protection or security afforded by an asylum : refuge
b
: protection from arrest and extradition given especially to political refugees by a nation or by an embassy or other agency enjoying freedom from what is required by law for most people
4
somewhat old-fashioned
: an institution providing care and protection to needy individuals (such as the infirm or destitute) and especially the mentally ill
Examples of asylum in a Sentence
She asked for political asylum.
She was granted asylum after it was made clear that she would be killed if she returned to her native country.
Recent Examples on the Web
The father and son, who sought asylum from Ecuador in December 2024, remain jailed in an ICE facility in Dilley, Texas.
—
Patricia Gallagher Newberry, Cincinnati Enquirer, 31 Jan. 2026
Liam and his family are from Ecuador and presented themselves to border officers in Texas in December 2024 to apply for asylum, according to the family’s lawyer, Marc Prokosch.
—Zoe Sottile, CNN Money, 31 Jan. 2026
The abduction of Liam Conejo Ramos and his father—both of whom have pending asylum claims—was unfolding in the driveway of the family’s home, on a street where Granlund often walks her dog.
—Jessica Winter, New Yorker, 31 Jan. 2026
Skylark by Paula McLain Set across two eras in Paris, Skylark follows Alouette Voland, a young woman unjustly imprisoned in the Salpêtrière asylum in 1664, and Kristof Larson, a medical resident in 1939 risking everything to protect his Jewish neighbors during the Nazi occupation.
—Kait Hanson, Southern Living, 31 Jan. 2026
See All Example Sentences for asylum
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Patricia Gallagher Newberry, Cincinnati Enquirer, 31 Jan. 2026
Liam and his family are from Ecuador and presented themselves to border officers in Texas in December 2024 to apply for asylum, according to the family’s lawyer, Marc Prokosch.
—Zoe Sottile, CNN Money, 31 Jan. 2026
The abduction of Liam Conejo Ramos and his father—both of whom have pending asylum claims—was unfolding in the driveway of the family’s home, on a street where Granlund often walks her dog.
—Jessica Winter, New Yorker, 31 Jan. 2026
Skylark by Paula McLain Set across two eras in Paris, Skylark follows Alouette Voland, a young woman unjustly imprisoned in the Salpêtrière asylum in 1664, and Kristof Larson, a medical resident in 1939 risking everything to protect his Jewish neighbors during the Nazi occupation.
—Kait Hanson, Southern Living, 31 Jan. 2026
See All Example Sentences for asylum
Cite this Entry
“Asylum.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/asylum. Accessed 5 Feb. 2026.
Copy CitationKids Definition
Medical Definition
asylum
noun
asy·lum
ə-ˈsī-ləm 
: an institution providing care and protection to needy individuals (such as the infirm or destitute) and especially the mentally ill
Legal Definition
asylum
noun
asy·lum
ə-ˈsī-ləm
: protection from arrest and extradition given especially to political refugees by a nation or by an embassy or other agency that has diplomatic immunity
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