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
Joseph Hudak, Rolling Stone, 15 Nov. 2025
Gabrielle was not with Davis when the mom, after being accused of shoplifting, was arrested October 17, and Davis still was in a Broward County jail when Terrelonge called, police said.
—Nicquel Terry Ellis, CNN Money, 15 Nov. 2025
Shirsho Dasgupta, Miami Herald, 15 Nov. 2025
The United States does not jail or execute people for being LGBTQ.
—Fernando Chang-Muy, Time, 14 Nov. 2025
See All Example Sentences for jail
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Noun
Shortly after the tour commenced, however, it was canceled after Snider was involved in a murky incident in Salt Lake City, Utah, that landed him in jail.
—Joseph Hudak, Rolling Stone, 15 Nov. 2025
Gabrielle was not with Davis when the mom, after being accused of shoplifting, was arrested October 17, and Davis still was in a Broward County jail when Terrelonge called, police said.
—Nicquel Terry Ellis, CNN Money, 15 Nov. 2025
Verb
Robinson was jailed on contempt charges for filming a trial despite a court order prohibiting such coverage.
—Shirsho Dasgupta, Miami Herald, 15 Nov. 2025
The United States does not jail or execute people for being LGBTQ.
—Fernando Chang-Muy, Time, 14 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 19 Nov. 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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