: 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 average, Death Row inmates spend almost two decades awaiting execution, according to the Death Penalty Information Center.
—
Grethel Aguila, Miami Herald, 11 Apr. 2026
Officials with the Pueblo County Sheriff’s Office are investigating after an inmate died Thursday afternoon from unknown causes, according to the department.
—Lauren Penington, Denver Post, 10 Apr. 2026
Borger is being held in the Douglas County Jail on a $500,000 bond, according to the facility’s inmate listing.
—Caroline Zimmerman, Kansas City Star, 10 Apr. 2026
The judge had ordered that the curtains to the official witness room be opened earlier during a lethal injection, allowing witnesses to observe the inmate being secured with restraints to a gurney and the IV insertion process itself.
—ABC News, 8 Apr. 2026
See All Example Sentences for inmate
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Grethel Aguila, Miami Herald, 11 Apr. 2026
Officials with the Pueblo County Sheriff’s Office are investigating after an inmate died Thursday afternoon from unknown causes, according to the department.
—Lauren Penington, Denver Post, 10 Apr. 2026
Borger is being held in the Douglas County Jail on a $500,000 bond, according to the facility’s inmate listing.
—Caroline Zimmerman, Kansas City Star, 10 Apr. 2026
The judge had ordered that the curtains to the official witness room be opened earlier during a lethal injection, allowing witnesses to observe the inmate being secured with restraints to a gurney and the IV insertion process itself.
—ABC News, 8 Apr. 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 23 Apr. 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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