1
: a place of confinement for persons held in lawful custody
specifically
: such a place under the jurisdiction of a local government (such as a county) for the confinement of persons awaiting trial or those convicted of minor crimes compare prison
2
: confinement in a jail
sentenced to jail
Examples of jail in a Sentence
Noun
He was locked up in the county jail.
He was arrested and sent to jail.
He went to jail for his crimes.
He just got out of jail a few weeks ago.
He was kept in jail overnight.
Verb
threatened to jail the punks if they so much as jaywalked
Recent Examples on the Web
Liza Esquibias, PEOPLE, 27 Dec. 2025
That relationship has already cost Andrew his titles, his home at Royal Lodge, and might even end up landing him in jail if recent reports are to be believed.
—Stylecaster Editors, StyleCaster, 27 Dec. 2025
Ross Adkin, CNN Money, 27 Dec. 2025
The affair has also seen the rapper Pras Michel, formerly of The Fugees, jailed for 14 years in the US for acting as a foreign agent.
—Tom Chivers, semafor.com, 26 Dec. 2025
See All Example Sentences for jail
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Noun
He was sentenced to one year in jail and has been ordered to pay $1,425 in fines.
—Liza Esquibias, PEOPLE, 27 Dec. 2025
That relationship has already cost Andrew his titles, his home at Royal Lodge, and might even end up landing him in jail if recent reports are to be believed.
—Stylecaster Editors, StyleCaster, 27 Dec. 2025
Verb
The military has been documented going on bloody rampages, torching and bombing villages, massacring residents, jailing opponents and forcing young men and women to join the army.
—Ross Adkin, CNN Money, 27 Dec. 2025
The affair has also seen the rapper Pras Michel, formerly of The Fugees, jailed for 14 years in the US for acting as a foreign agent.
—Tom Chivers, semafor.com, 26 Dec. 2025
See All Example Sentences for jail
Cite this Entry
“Jail.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/jail. Accessed 29 Dec. 2025.
Copy CitationLegal Definition
jail
noun
: a place of confinement for persons held in lawful custody
specifically
: such a place under the jurisdiction of a local government (as a county) for the confinement of persons awaiting trial or those convicted of minor crimes compare house of correction, house of detention, lockup, penitentiary, prison
jail
transitive verb
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