jailbroke
ˈjāl-ˌbrōk 
; jailbreaking; jailbreaks
; jailbreaking; jailbreaks
: to remove built-in limitations from (an electronic device, such as a cell phone)
I'm not trying to be overly snarky here, but for … in-house app distribution, I see no need or advantage to jailbreaking an iOS device.—
John Welch
John WelchLast week we learned you can jailbreak every current model of Kindle.—Thorin Klosowski
Thorin KlosowskiApple makes it nearly impossible for the average user to download apps from anywhere else unless you jailbreak your phone.—Peter Wells
Peter WellsExamples of jailbreak in a Sentence
Recent Examples on the Web
Rachel Treisman, NPR, 9 Oct. 2025
Derrick Groves, the final fugitive from a mass jailbreak in New Orleans in May, is now in custody after police in Atlanta surrounded a home in the city’s southwest on Wednesday afternoon.
—Amanda Castro, MSNBC Newsweek, 8 Oct. 2025
Aramide Tinubu, Variety, 25 Sep. 2025
Rodriguez also notes that his hacking technique could be used not just by a driver who wants to jailbreak their own plate, but also by someone targeting an unwitting owner of a plate too.
—Andy Greenberg, WIRED, 16 Dec. 2024
See All Example Sentences for jailbreak
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Noun
Louisiana politicians say there are others to blame for the jailbreak, pointing the finger at each other as well as broader systemic failures.
—Rachel Treisman, NPR, 9 Oct. 2025
Derrick Groves, the final fugitive from a mass jailbreak in New Orleans in May, is now in custody after police in Atlanta surrounded a home in the city’s southwest on Wednesday afternoon.
—Amanda Castro, MSNBC Newsweek, 8 Oct. 2025
Verb
However, when Leila arrives at the institution, planning to jailbreak her bestie, things begin to shift.
—Aramide Tinubu, Variety, 25 Sep. 2025
Rodriguez also notes that his hacking technique could be used not just by a driver who wants to jailbreak their own plate, but also by someone targeting an unwitting owner of a plate too.
—Andy Greenberg, WIRED, 16 Dec. 2024
See All Example Sentences for jailbreak
Cite this Entry
“Jailbreak.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/jailbreak. Accessed 11 Oct. 2025.
Copy CitationKids Definition
jailbreak
noun
jail·break
-ˌbrāk
: an escape from jail by use of force
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