SINCE 1828
parole
noun
pa·role
| \ pə-ˈrōl
\
\
Definition of parole
(Entry 1 of 2)
1
: a promise made with or confirmed by a pledge of one's honor
especially
: the promise of a prisoner of war to fulfill stated conditions in consideration of his release
2
: a watchword given only to officers of the guard and of the day
3
: a conditional release of a prisoner serving an indeterminate or unexpired sentence
4a
: language viewed as a specific individual usage : performance
b
: a linguistic act — compare langue
parole
verb
paroled;
paroling
Definition of parole (Entry 2 of 2)
: to release (a prisoner) on parole
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Examples of parole in a Sentence
Noun
The prisoner will be eligible for parole after three years. She robbed a bank while out on parole. The prisoner was released on parole.
Recent Examples on the Web: Noun
Parks was tried, convicted, and sentenced to life in prison without parole for the death of her three small children in an apparent arson. — Maude Campbell, Popular Mechanics, "The 1991 Firestorm That Changed Everything We Thought We Knew About Arson," 8 Nov. 2018 Holmes was convicted of murder and sentenced to life in prison without parole in 2015. — Fox News, "'Hidden in Holmes' mind': Psychologist describes findings after spending hours with Aurora movie theater killer," 2 Oct. 2018 The dissenters also cited numerous state sentencing laws permitting life without parole for juveniles to show that such sentences weren’t unusual. — Michael B. Mukasey And, WSJ, "What Punishment Is Cruel and Unusual for a Crime Committed at 17?," 21 Sep. 2018 The driver was sentenced to life in prison without parole. — Nicholas Kulish, New York Times, "Border Patrol’s Last Line of Defense? It Isn’t at the Border," 9 July 2018 Stewart and Jones are facing a maximum sentence of life in prison without parole, while Neal is facing a maximum sentence of life in prison. — Katie Kilkenny, The Hollywood Reporter, "Three Charged in Kidnapping of 'Halloween: Resurrection' Actress," 4 July 2018 Defense lawyers have said the government should accept a guilty plea and a sentence of life in prison without parole to provide victims' families and the public with closure. — CBS News, "Man charged in NYC bike path killings invokes "Allah" and defends ISIS in court," 23 June 2018 Harsh sentences have left those individuals serving life sentences without parole over dime bags, not only barring them from future involvement in what is now a multi-billion dollar industry but also taking their freedom. — Judith Ohikuare, refinery29.com, "Can Black Women Do Good & Get Rich In Big Cannabis?," 22 June 2018 The judge accepted a recommendation from District Attorney Akillie Malone-Oliver that the 48-year-old Sanders be sentenced to life without parole. — Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, "Mississippi man sentenced to life in prison in rape and killing of two nuns, including one from Wisconsin," 21 June 2018Recent Examples on the Web: Verb
During that time, prisoners have received life terms with the possibility they could be paroled if the governor signed off — and Blumberg’s commission has recommended release in some cases. — Ann E. Marimow, Washington Post, "Who will stay, who will go free? The question at the heart of a parole commissioner’s job," 19 Mar. 2018 But now Jameson, who has since been paroled, will have another chance to bring his now 16-year-old case. — Greg Moran, sandiegouniontribune.com, "State high court strikes down rule requiring poor to pay for own court reporter in civil courts," 6 July 2018 Lima received the stiffest sentence—16 years at Leavenworth—but was paroled after serving eight. — Peter Duffy, WSJ, "‘Inspector Oldfield and the Black Hand Society’ Review: The Mafia and the Mail," 20 Aug. 2018 Perry spent 10 years in prison before being paroled. — Fox News, "26 years after conviction, 2 exonerated in false rape claim," 8 May 2018 The decision to parole the parents of the younger children was announced hours before the Flores decision was issued. — Kristina Davis, sandiegouniontribune.com, "Trump administration says detained parents must decide whether to keep families intact," 10 July 2018 Bell had requested to be paroled in California to be closer to his family. — Bradford Betz, Fox News, "Wife of cop killer plunged to her death, coroner's office rules," 22 June 2018 After serving 62 months in prison for the murder conspiracy, Townley was paroled in 1983 and placed in the federal witness protection program. — Washington Post, BostonGlobe.com, "Seymour Glanzer, an original Watergate prosecutor, dies at 91," 31 May 2018 Jones served both sentences concurrently and was due to be paroled in March, as per a law designed to reduce prison crowding. — Elizabeth Zavala, San Antonio Express-News, "Child killer Genene Jones to receive psychological evaluation," 30 May 2018These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'parole.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
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More Definitions for parole
parole
noun
English Language Learners Definition of parole
(Entry 1 of 2)
: permission given to a prisoner to leave prison before the end of a sentence usually as a reward for behaving well
parole
verbEnglish Language Learners Definition of parole (Entry 2 of 2)
: to release (a prisoner) on parole
See the full definition for parole in the English Language Learners Dictionary
parole
noun
pa·role
| \ pə-ˈrōl
\
\
Kids Definition of parole
: an early release of a prisoner
parole
noun
pa·role
| \ pə-ˈrōl
\
\
Medical Definition of parole
: a conditional release given to a psychiatric patient in a hospital before discharge enabling the patient to visit freely various designated areas on the hospital grounds or beyond its limits
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parole
noun
pa·role
| \ pə-ˈrōl
\
\
Legal Definition of parole
: a conditional release of a prisoner who has served part of a sentence and who remains under the control of and in the legal custody of a parole authority — compare probation
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Comments on parole
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