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
Alexandra Koch, FOXNews.com, 29 Nov. 2025
Cornelius was in jail when Catherine died.
—Holly Yan, CNN Money, 29 Nov. 2025
Landon Mion, FOXNews.com, 29 Nov. 2025
Hernández was jailed for 45 years in prison in Manhattan last year.
—MSNBC Newsweek, 29 Nov. 2025
See All Example Sentences for jail
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Noun
This low-life is lying in my jail, getting three meals a day, whining and crying.
—Alexandra Koch, FOXNews.com, 29 Nov. 2025
Cornelius was in jail when Catherine died.
—Holly Yan, CNN Money, 29 Nov. 2025
Verb
When he was later jailed on unrelated matters, Menzies had Hunsaker’s wallet and several other items that belonged to her.
—Landon Mion, FOXNews.com, 29 Nov. 2025
Hernández was jailed for 45 years in prison in Manhattan last year.
—MSNBC Newsweek, 29 Nov. 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 2 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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