cellmate

noun

cell·​mate ˈsel-ˌmāt How to pronounce cellmate (audio)
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
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Other lawsuits pending against the county describe people with mental illness being placed in solitary confinement or, conversely, being killed by a cellmate with a history of violence. Jeff McDonald, Mercury News, 21 July 2025 In that cell, Doug’s cellmate became an unlikely mentor, training him and sparking change. Kwame Christian Esq, Forbes.com, 18 July 2025 The report found that staff failed to ensure he was assigned a cellmate following an earlier incident that resulted in him being placed on suicide watch and to ensure security camera systems were fully functioning, resulting in limited recorded video evidence. Adeola Adeosun gabe Whisnant, MSNBC Newsweek, 7 July 2025 In his motion, Brindley accused the U.S. Attorney’s Office of knowingly conspiring to use information protected by attorney-client privilege, including information procured from one of Kelly’s cellmates. Christie D’zurilla, Los Angeles Times, 13 June 2025 See All Example Sentences for cellmate

Word History

First Known Use

1839, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of cellmate was in 1839

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Cite this Entry

“Cellmate.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/cellmate. Accessed 3 Aug. 2025.

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