: 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
On July 30, the jail, which has a capacity of 750 inmates, was over capacity by 107 people with an average stay of 256 days.
—
Margaret Shreiner, jsonline.com, 10 Sep. 2025
In an environment where seconds matter, a failing communication system places both inmates and staff at serious risk.
—Walter Pavlo, Forbes.com, 10 Sep. 2025
An Arizona inmate tricked court officials into releasing him more than two decades early by filing fake orders allegedly dismissing his charges.
—Suzanne Nuyen, NPR, 10 Sep. 2025
He was being held in jail on Wednesday with a bond set at $10,000, according to an online inmate roster.
—Rafael Escalera Montoto, Arkansas Online, 10 Sep. 2025
See All Example Sentences for inmate
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Margaret Shreiner, jsonline.com, 10 Sep. 2025
In an environment where seconds matter, a failing communication system places both inmates and staff at serious risk.
—Walter Pavlo, Forbes.com, 10 Sep. 2025
An Arizona inmate tricked court officials into releasing him more than two decades early by filing fake orders allegedly dismissing his charges.
—Suzanne Nuyen, NPR, 10 Sep. 2025
He was being held in jail on Wednesday with a bond set at $10,000, according to an online inmate roster.
—Rafael Escalera Montoto, Arkansas Online, 10 Sep. 2025
See All Example Sentences for inmate
Cite this Entry
“Inmate.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/inmate. Accessed 12 Sep. 2025.
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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