: 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
He is being held in the Jackson County Jail, according to the jail’s inmate listing.
—
Caroline Zimmerman, Kansas City Star, 7 Feb. 2026
In January, Link was accused of entering another inmate’s jail cell and punching her in the face.
—Grethel Aguila, Miami Herald, 6 Feb. 2026
The settlement came out of a lawsuit over prison conditions during the pandemic, not an executive order to release inmates, according to Cooper’s campaign.
—Nora O'Neill, Charlotte Observer, 6 Feb. 2026
These abuses include the murder of inmates’ infants, a fact that galvanizes the pregnant Alouette (the father of her child, Étienne, is a quarryman) into joining a plan for escape through the Paris sewers.
—Los Angeles Times, 5 Feb. 2026
See All Example Sentences for inmate
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Caroline Zimmerman, Kansas City Star, 7 Feb. 2026
In January, Link was accused of entering another inmate’s jail cell and punching her in the face.
—Grethel Aguila, Miami Herald, 6 Feb. 2026
The settlement came out of a lawsuit over prison conditions during the pandemic, not an executive order to release inmates, according to Cooper’s campaign.
—Nora O'Neill, Charlotte Observer, 6 Feb. 2026
These abuses include the murder of inmates’ infants, a fact that galvanizes the pregnant Alouette (the father of her child, Étienne, is a quarryman) into joining a plan for escape through the Paris sewers.
—Los Angeles Times, 5 Feb. 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 8 Feb. 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)
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