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
CBS News, 28 Nov. 2025
To jailbreak ChatGPT, NBC News asked the models an innocuous question, included the jailbreak prompt and then asked an additional question that would normally trigger a denial for violating safety terms, like a request for how to create a dangerous poison or defraud a bank.
—Jasmine Cui, NBC news, 10 Oct. 2025
Hollie Silverman, MSNBC Newsweek, 6 Dec. 2025
Crucially, this ability to jailbreak with adversarial poems isn’t just a gap in one particular software’s armor.
—James Folta, Literary Hub, 21 Nov. 2025
See All Example Sentences for jailbreak
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Noun
The jailbreak comes after thieves broke into the Louvre museum in Paris in broad daylight last month, making off with priceless imperial jewels.
—CBS News, 28 Nov. 2025
To jailbreak ChatGPT, NBC News asked the models an innocuous question, included the jailbreak prompt and then asked an additional question that would normally trigger a denial for violating safety terms, like a request for how to create a dangerous poison or defraud a bank.
—Jasmine Cui, NBC news, 10 Oct. 2025
Verb
Previous jailbreaks this year have spurred policy debates and raised questions on jail oversight and maintenance, with repercussions for public safety and criminal justice administration statewide.
—Hollie Silverman, MSNBC Newsweek, 6 Dec. 2025
Crucially, this ability to jailbreak with adversarial poems isn’t just a gap in one particular software’s armor.
—James Folta, Literary Hub, 21 Nov. 2025
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 Dec. 2025.
Copy CitationKids Definition
jailbreak
noun
jail·break
-ˌbrāk
: an escape from jail by use of force
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