: any of a group occupying a single place of residence
especially
: a person confined (as in a prison or hospital)
Examples of inmate in a Sentence
Recent Examples on the Web
He's stabbed to death by a prison inmate in the season 5 finale, but returns in the season 11 finale in a hallucination seen by Hank.
—
Allison Degrushe, Entertainment Weekly, 1 Oct. 2025
What To Know During his first court appearance September 16, Robinson appeared via video link and was seen wearing a green anti-suicide smock in jail — standard protocol for inmates considered at risk of self-harm.
—Robert Alexander, MSNBC Newsweek, 30 Sep. 2025
Jones was the 13th inmate executed in Florida this year, surpassing Florida’s previous record of eight executions in 2014.
—Grethel Aguila, Miami Herald, 30 Sep. 2025
According to the Bureau of Prisons inmate database, Ivery and Mazur are in federal custody.
—Bill Kirkos, CNN Money, 29 Sep. 2025
See All Example Sentences for inmate
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Allison Degrushe, Entertainment Weekly, 1 Oct. 2025
What To Know During his first court appearance September 16, Robinson appeared via video link and was seen wearing a green anti-suicide smock in jail — standard protocol for inmates considered at risk of self-harm.
—Robert Alexander, MSNBC Newsweek, 30 Sep. 2025
Jones was the 13th inmate executed in Florida this year, surpassing Florida’s previous record of eight executions in 2014.
—Grethel Aguila, Miami Herald, 30 Sep. 2025
According to the Bureau of Prisons inmate database, Ivery and Mazur are in federal custody.
—Bill Kirkos, CNN Money, 29 Sep. 2025
See All Example Sentences for inmate
Cite this Entry
“Inmate.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/inmate. Accessed 9 Oct. 2025.
Copy CitationKids Definition
inmate
noun
in·mate
ˈin-ˌmāt 
: a member of a group living in a single residence
especially
: a person kept in an institution (as a hospital or prison)
Medical Definition
inmate
noun
in·mate
ˈin-ˌmāt
: one of a group occupying a single place of residence
especially
: a person confined (as in a psychiatric hospital) especially for a long time
Legal Definition
inmate
noun
in·mate
ˈin-ˌmāt
: a person confined in an institution (as a prison or hospital)
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