cellmate

noun

cell·​mate ˈsel-ˌmāt 

variants or less commonly cell mate

plural cellmates also cell mates

: a person who shares a prison cell with another prisoner

When his cellmates learned that his bond had been set at $1 million (and bail at $500,000), they broke into laughter and shook their heads in disbelief.

—Richard Behar

Within a week, guards came by at night and told me to get ready. … I said goodbye to my cellmates and gathered my things …

—Clare Morgana Gillis

Examples of cellmate in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

At the time, Osborn said that Kelly's cellmate, a suspect in the killing, should not have been sharing a cell with anyone. — Paul Egan, Freep.com, 9 Sep. 2026

In arguing for their release, friends, relatives and former cellmates of the brothers pointed to programs the brothers have spearheaded in prison, including classes for anger management, meditation and helping inmates in hospice care. — James Queally, Los Angeles Times, 8 Sep. 2026

His cellmate, a 28-year-old man, has been identified as a suspect in Brancheau's death, the agency said. — Nicholas Lentz, CBS News, 6 Sep. 2026

At noon that same day, her cellmates notified the correctional officer who failed to review Babb’s documents a few hours earlier. — Rosalio Ahumada, Sacbee.com, 3 Sep. 2026

Word History

First Known Use

1839, in the meaning defined above

Rhymes for cellmate

• abate
• airfreight
• await
• baseplate
• berate
• birthdate
• birthrate
• bookplate
• borate
• breastplate
• bromate
• casemate