jailbird

noun

ˈjāl-ˌbərd How to pronounce jailbird (audio)
Definition of jailbirdnext
as in prisoner
a person convicted as a criminal and serving a prison sentence had spent most of his sorry life as a jailbird in hoosegows across the South

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 jailbird But these jailbirds aren’t using their own fingers to fire off missives or create clones. — Andrew Zucker, HollywoodReporter, 13 Feb. 2026 And these seven crooked cops are just the tip of the MSP jailbird iceberg. — Howie Carr, Boston Herald, 17 Jan. 2026 At no point has the jailbird shown contrition for her crimes. — Krista Kafer, Denver Post, 1 Dec. 2025 Becomes a jailbird at a high-security zoo after he’s caught, with the newest Wallace & Gromit film, Vengeance Most Fowl, finding Feathers, all these years later, hell-bent on getting even with the duo who locked him up. — Devon Ivie, Vulture, 6 Jan. 2025 See All Example Sentences for jailbird
Recent Examples of Synonyms for jailbird
  1. prisoner
  2. inmate
  3. convict
  4. con
Noun
  • Smith was a redhead, short and slightly built, with a pleasant nature, at least according to the Courant, which had regular access to the prisoner, including occasions when reprieves were delivered.
    — Edmund H. Mahony, Hartford Courant, 19 July 2026
  • Miguel Banuelos, a prisoner who walked away from Washington Ridge Conservation Camp in California and was captured in Tijuana, Mexico, was reported at large again after a Mexican magistrate released him, officials said.
    — Arkansas Online, Arkansas Online, 19 July 2026
Definition of prisoner
Noun
  • The Jewish community had supported the creation of a synagogue in part because of fears that Jewish inmates, who had previously prayed in the prison’s hospital, would be converted while inside.
    — Stephen Silver, Sun Sentinel, 20 July 2026
  • Both men were held in the Pulaski County jail on Monday afternoon, an online inmate roster states.
    — Grant Lancaster, Arkansas Online, 20 July 2026
Definition of inmate
Noun
  • Sochor is scheduled to be the second Broward convict executed this year.
    — Rafael Olmeda, Sun Sentinel, 13 July 2026
  • He is listed among the two hundred convicts who arrived in Sydney aboard the barque Norfolk in August 1829.
    — Literary Hub, Literary Hub, 10 July 2026
Definition of convict
Noun
  • Cancelmi will play Danny McKeever, a guy with a poet’s soul and a con-man’s dreams who’s been stuck running his family’s funeral home for decades.
    — Denise Petski, Deadline, 22 July 2026
  • Combo Plate 1 includes half a Pepper Steak Sandwich, Calamari, Pasta con Pesto and Garlic Bread.
    — Linda Zavoral, Mercury News, 20 July 2026
Definition of con

Browse Nearby Words

jail
jailbird
jailbirds
See all Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Jailbird.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/jailbird. Accessed 25 Jul. 2026.

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