: 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
The escape was initially revealed on Sunday by Guatemala’s director of prisons, who said that prison officials had only detected the scheme — in which inmates may have slipped out one by one, or in pairs — after hearing rumors and checking inmates’ biometric data.
—
New York Times, 16 Oct. 2025
Smithers is the 14th inmate executed in Florida this year, a record that far eclispes the state's previous yearly high of eight executions, reached in 1984 and 2014.
—Amanda Lee Myers, USA Today, 15 Oct. 2025
The paper also reported that Maxwell's fellow inmates were warned not to discuss her case with the press.
—Michael Ruiz, FOXNews.com, 15 Oct. 2025
His defense filed a tranche of letters from supporters and family members, as well as other documents — such as details about a class Combs created and taught to his fellow inmates — to argue Combs is a changed and humbled man.
—Rolling Stone, 3 Oct. 2025
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.
New York Times, 16 Oct. 2025
Smithers is the 14th inmate executed in Florida this year, a record that far eclispes the state's previous yearly high of eight executions, reached in 1984 and 2014.
—Amanda Lee Myers, USA Today, 15 Oct. 2025
The paper also reported that Maxwell's fellow inmates were warned not to discuss her case with the press.
—Michael Ruiz, FOXNews.com, 15 Oct. 2025
His defense filed a tranche of letters from supporters and family members, as well as other documents — such as details about a class Combs created and taught to his fellow inmates — to argue Combs is a changed and humbled man.
—Rolling Stone, 3 Oct. 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 22 Oct. 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)
Love words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
Share