prisoner

noun

pris·​on·​er ˈpriz-nər 

ˈpri-zᵊn-ər

1

: a person deprived of liberty and kept under involuntary restraint, confinement, or custody

especially : one on trial or in prison

2

: someone restrained as if in prison

a prisoner of her own conscience

see also:

take-no-prisoners take no prisoners

Synonyms of prisoner

• captive
• capture

Examples of prisoner in a Sentence

He was captured by rebel forces and kept as their prisoner for several months before they set him free.

The families were held prisoner for four days.

Recent Examples on the Web

Florida executed two men on the same day in July and has put 31 prisoners to death since the start of 2025. — ABC News, 13 Aug. 2026

Corlys begins the season fighting for Rhaenyra’s cause, and ends the season as a prisoner of that same cause. — Josh Wigler, HollywoodReporter, 13 Aug. 2026

The pair quickly started shoving each other, both of them getting in a couple punches, before security stopped the fight and separated the prisoners. — Jessica Schladebeck, New York Daily News, 13 Aug. 2026

If Tennessee and Alabama proceed Thursday, six states will have put prisoners to death in 2026. — Greg Wehner, FOXNews.com, 13 Aug. 2026

Word History

First Known Use

14th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Phrases Containing prisoner

• co-prisoner
• political prisoner
• prisoner of conscience
• prisoner of war
• prisoner's base
• take (someone) prisoner

Kids Definition

prisoner

noun

pris·​on·​er ˈpriz-nər 

-ᵊn-ər

: a person who has been captured or locked up

Legal Definition

prisoner

noun

pris·​on·​er

: a person deprived of liberty and kept under involuntary restraint, confinement, or custody

especially : one under arrest, awaiting trial, on trial, or serving a prison sentence