: 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
Speculation about the property’s future has lingered since the federal prisons bureau announced FCI Dublin’s closure in 2024, amid a torrent of lawsuits by past and current inmates claiming years of systemic abuse at the hands of the prison’s staff.
—
Jakob Rodgers, Mercury News, 14 May 2026
After 29 years, nine execution dates and three last meals, former death row inmate Richard Glossip is out on bond Thursday awaiting retrial after his previous conviction in the murder-for-hire plot of his former boss was overturned by the Supreme Court last year, his attorney told CNN.
—Linh Tran, CNN Money, 14 May 2026
Oklahoma executed a death row inmate by lethal injection on Thursday morning.
—CBS News, 14 May 2026
Over the next 24 hours, the complaint alleges, McElroy was at the mercy of jail staff members who failed to call 911 as other inmates beat their cell windows and tables, begging for help.
—Abigail Brooks, NBC news, 13 May 2026
See All Example Sentences for inmate
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
show current usage.
Read More
Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors.
Send us feedback.
Jakob Rodgers, Mercury News, 14 May 2026
After 29 years, nine execution dates and three last meals, former death row inmate Richard Glossip is out on bond Thursday awaiting retrial after his previous conviction in the murder-for-hire plot of his former boss was overturned by the Supreme Court last year, his attorney told CNN.
—Linh Tran, CNN Money, 14 May 2026
Oklahoma executed a death row inmate by lethal injection on Thursday morning.
—CBS News, 14 May 2026
Over the next 24 hours, the complaint alleges, McElroy was at the mercy of jail staff members who failed to call 911 as other inmates beat their cell windows and tables, begging for help.
—Abigail Brooks, NBC news, 13 May 2026
See All Example Sentences for inmate
Cite this Entry
“Inmate.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/inmate. Accessed 20 May. 2026.
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)
Love words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
