prisoner

Definition of prisonernext
as in captive
one that has been taken and held in confinement the prisoners were fed only bread and water twice a day

Synonyms & Similar Words

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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 prisoner One post from February features a self-portrait to which Longo added ominous, discordant music and the grain of a CCTV camera, like a prisoner in a horror movie. Christopher Hooks, Harpers Magazine, 23 June 2026 Ten federal courts of appeals held that the federal Religious Land Use and Institutionalized Persons Act does not allow prisoners to sue prison officials in their personal capacities for damages, and now the Supreme Court has agreed. Devin Dwyer, ABC News, 23 June 2026 Casa Amor, as a concept, is traditionally structured like a prisoner’s dilemma, with neither the main villa nor Casa Islanders aware of what their counterparts are doing while they’re separated. Kathleen Walsh, Vulture, 22 June 2026 Ironically, Vonnegut and 150 of his fellow prisoners were safely locked in a slaughterhouse meat locker while the city burned. Spin Team, SPIN, 22 June 2026 See All Example Sentences for prisoner
Recent Examples of Synonyms for prisoner
Noun
  • It is thought to be the only slave revolution in history where the former captives overthrew their rulers and went on to govern the country themselves.
    Nick Miller, New York Times, 12 June 2026
  • On a day in mid-July, three men kidnapped a bus full of schoolchildren and forced their captives into an underground bunker where they were buried alive.
    James Mercadante, Entertainment Weekly, 4 June 2026
Noun
  • Israel has launched frequent campaigns against Hezbollah, most notably in 2006, when a Hezbollah cross-border raid and the capture of two Israeli soldiers provoked an extensive Israeli air and ground operation that lasted more than a month.
    Nadeen Ebrahim, CNN Money, 20 June 2026
  • No battery can mean no QR event access, no WhatsApp location updates, no ride bookings, no content capture and no ability to respond when a last-minute invitation lands.
    Kate Hardcastle, Forbes.com, 19 June 2026

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Cite this Entry

“Prisoner.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/prisoner. Accessed 27 Jun. 2026.

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