: 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
His release date is May 25, 2028, according to Federal Bureau of Prisons inmate records viewed by PEOPLE on Thursday.
—
Angel Saunders, PEOPLE, 9 Jan. 2026
In Macon, inmates used contraband phones to overwhelm and shut down a 911 center serving 13 counties by exploiting a weakness in the prison's wireless system.
—Christopher Harris, CBS News, 8 Jan. 2026
Thirty-one state inmates were killed in California in 2025, the most violent of the last five years.
—Matthew Ormseth, Los Angeles Times, 8 Jan. 2026
He is being held without bail at a Los Angeles jail, inmate records show.
—Tim Stelloh, NBC news, 7 Jan. 2026
See All Example Sentences for inmate
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Angel Saunders, PEOPLE, 9 Jan. 2026
In Macon, inmates used contraband phones to overwhelm and shut down a 911 center serving 13 counties by exploiting a weakness in the prison's wireless system.
—Christopher Harris, CBS News, 8 Jan. 2026
Thirty-one state inmates were killed in California in 2025, the most violent of the last five years.
—Matthew Ormseth, Los Angeles Times, 8 Jan. 2026
He is being held without bail at a Los Angeles jail, inmate records show.
—Tim Stelloh, NBC news, 7 Jan. 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 9 Jan. 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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