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
Diego Lasarte, New Yorker, 21 Apr. 2026
He was sentenced to 280 days in county jail and given credit for time already served.
—Christina Coulter, PEOPLE, 20 Apr. 2026
Sarah Rumpf-Whitten, FOXNews.com, 21 Apr. 2026
That includes if the judge finds that the defendant will never gain capacity or if legal limits for someone being jailed pre-trial for their charge are reached.
—Charlotte Observer, 20 Apr. 2026
See All Example Sentences for jail
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Noun
In the meantime, Maduro continues to wait in jail.
—Diego Lasarte, New Yorker, 21 Apr. 2026
He was sentenced to 280 days in county jail and given credit for time already served.
—Christina Coulter, PEOPLE, 20 Apr. 2026
Verb
In a filing last week reviewed by Fox News Digital, prosecutors asked a judge to revisit the teenager's release and either jail him before trial or tighten the rules of his release, arguing the case has changed now that he is being prosecuted as an adult.
—Sarah Rumpf-Whitten, FOXNews.com, 21 Apr. 2026
That includes if the judge finds that the defendant will never gain capacity or if legal limits for someone being jailed pre-trial for their charge are reached.
—Charlotte Observer, 20 Apr. 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 22 Apr. 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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