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
Eleanor Nash, Kansas City Star, 11 Mar. 2026
He was released from jail after promising to show up for his arraignment.
—Matthew Ormseth, Los Angeles Times, 11 Mar. 2026
Jeronimo Gonzalez, semafor.com, 11 Mar. 2026
Roybal-Smith, who had remained in custody, was jailed and faced charges in connection with the assault.
—Christa Swanson, CBS News, 10 Mar. 2026
See All Example Sentences for jail
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Noun
Nineteen-year-old Jalen Brown and 33-year-old Adam Meysing were taken to the county jail and held on unspecified charges at $250 cash bail, sheriff’s office records show.
—Eleanor Nash, Kansas City Star, 11 Mar. 2026
He was released from jail after promising to show up for his arraignment.
—Matthew Ormseth, Los Angeles Times, 11 Mar. 2026
Verb
Flávio Bolsonaro, the son of a former Brazilian president jailed on corruption and insurrection charges, is now tied in the polls with incumbent Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva.
—Jeronimo Gonzalez, semafor.com, 11 Mar. 2026
Roybal-Smith, who had remained in custody, was jailed and faced charges in connection with the assault.
—Christa Swanson, CBS News, 10 Mar. 2026
See All Example Sentences for jail
Cite this Entry
“Jail.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/jail. Accessed 14 Mar. 2026.
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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