1
: a place of confinement for persons held in lawful custody
specifically
: such a place under the jurisdiction of a local government (such as a county) for the confinement of persons awaiting trial or those convicted of minor crimes compare prison
2
: confinement in a jail
sentenced to jail
Examples of jail in a Sentence
Noun
He was locked up in the county jail.
He was arrested and sent to jail.
He went to jail for his crimes.
He just got out of jail a few weeks ago.
He was kept in jail overnight.
Verb
threatened to jail the punks if they so much as jaywalked
Recent Examples on the Web
Rafael Escalera Montoto, Arkansas Online, 9 Nov. 2025
Buzzard will be booked at a Santa Barbara County jail with bail set at $100,000, officials said.
—Elizabeth Wolfe, CNN Money, 8 Nov. 2025
Kim Aris, Time, 7 Nov. 2025
The attorney general was adamant that if Running Fence broke the law, workers would be arrested and jailed, and contractors would lose their licenses.
—Literary Hub, 7 Nov. 2025
See All Example Sentences for jail
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Noun
In addition to the murder charge, Thompson faces charges of committing a terroristic act, aggravated assault, engaging in violent criminal group activity and endangering the welfare of a minor, according to the jail roster.
—Rafael Escalera Montoto, Arkansas Online, 9 Nov. 2025
Buzzard will be booked at a Santa Barbara County jail with bail set at $100,000, officials said.
—Elizabeth Wolfe, CNN Money, 8 Nov. 2025
Verb
The regime that jails children also profits from drugs, human trafficking, and online scams.
—Kim Aris, Time, 7 Nov. 2025
The attorney general was adamant that if Running Fence broke the law, workers would be arrested and jailed, and contractors would lose their licenses.
—Literary Hub, 7 Nov. 2025
See All Example Sentences for jail
Cite this Entry
“Jail.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/jail. Accessed 10 Nov. 2025.
Copy CitationLegal Definition
jail
noun
: a place of confinement for persons held in lawful custody
specifically
: such a place under the jurisdiction of a local government (as a county) for the confinement of persons awaiting trial or those convicted of minor crimes compare house of correction, house of detention, lockup, penitentiary, prison
jail
transitive verb
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