parole

noun pa·role \ pə-ˈrōl \

|Updated on: 13 Jun 2018

Definition of parole

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

4 a : language viewed as a specific individual usage : performance

b : a linguistic act — compare langue

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parole

adjective

See parole defined for English-language learners

See parole defined for kids

Examples of parole in a Sentence

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 of parole from the Web

Under the terms of the Fernandez’ plea deal, a sentence of life in prison without parole was expected.

— dennis romero /, NBC News, "Man sentenced to death in torture, murder of boy he thought was gay," 8 June 2018
Johnson was sentenced to life in federal prison without parole in 1996 after being convicted on charges of conspiracy to possess cocaine, attempted possession of cocaine, and money laundering.

— jennifer hansler, CNN, "Trump set one woman free, but he's trying to put a lot more drug offenders away," 7 June 2018
His girlfriend, 34-year-old Pearl Fernandez, was sentenced to life in prison without parole after pleading guilty in February.

— nicole darrah, Fox News, "California man gets death sentence in torture-killing of 8-year-old boy," 7 June 2018
In 1996, Alice Johnson was sentenced to life in prison without parole for a first-time nonviolent drug offense.

— gabriella paiella, The Cut, "President Trump Pardons Alice Johnson After Kim Kardashian West Visit," 6 June 2018
She was sentenced to life in prison (without parole) in 1997.

— abby gardner, Glamour, "President Trump Pardons Alice Johnson a Week After Meeting With Kim Kardashian," 6 June 2018
Fewer than three months after his arrest, Gardner pleaded guilty and was sentenced to life without parole.

— greg moran, sandiegouniontribune.com, "Families in high profile cases come out in final days of DA race," 2 June 2018
The co-defendants who testified against her were given sentences ranging from probation without jail time to 10 years, while Johnson was sentenced to life in prison without parole, plus 25 years.

— margaret hartmann, Daily Intelligencer, "Kim Kardashian’s White House Prison-Reform Meeting Is Weird, But Don’t Blame Her," 30 May 2018
After being convicted for her role in a multimillion-dollar cocaine ring in Memphis, Tennessee, in the early 1990s, Johnson was given a mandatory life sentence without parole in 1996.

— kaila philo, The New Republic, "Can Kim Kardashian convince Trump to pardon a first-time drug offender?," 30 May 2018

These 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.

Origin and Etymology of parole

French, speech, parole, from Middle French, from Late Latin parabola speech — more at parable

NEW! Time Traveler

First Known Use: 1531

in the meaning defined at sense 1

See Words from the same year

Other Legal Terms

actionable, alienable, carceral, chattel, complicity, decedent, larceny, malfeasance, modus operandi

parole

verb

Definition of parole

paroled; paroling

transitive verb

: to release (a prisoner) on parole

See parole defined for English-language learners

Recent Examples of parole from the Web

Correa was on probation after he had been paroled in November.

— dave altimari, courant.com, "Griswold Murder Suspect Makes Brief Court Appearance on Other Charges," 8 June 2018
Wershe was paroled last year after serving nearly three decades behind bars.

— julie hinds, Detroit Free Press, "White Boy Rick documentary debuts online ahead of McConaughey movie," 29 May 2018
In statements to investigators, Jessup admitted committing four separate rapes in the Provo-Orem area between October 1988 – a month after he was paroled from prison in California – and February 1989.

— cathy locke, sacbee, "What happened to the ‘Woolly Rapist’ arrested in Sacramento County in 1978? | The Sacramento Bee," 25 Apr. 2018
Perry was paroled in 2001, while Counts was released on parole in August of last year, as noted by The Post.

— paula rogo, Essence.com, "Two Black Men Exonerated After Victim From 1991 Rape Claim Admits She Lied," 9 May 2018
He was tried and sentenced to life in prison but was paroled in 1942.

— Indianapolis Star, "Officers killed in the line of duty," 6 July 2014
The Pennsylvania Department of Corrections said Hoopsick had been in the state prison system for theft between May 2012 and July 2014, when she was paroled.

— melissa chan, Time, "What to Know About the Shocking Case Behind Netflix's True Crime Docuseries Evil Genius," 11 May 2018
Bouto, 42, spent nearly 23 years in prison before he was paroled in 2016.

— aamer madhani, USA TODAY, "Chicago men who spent combined 45 years in prison get murder charges vacated," 30 Apr. 2018
Some people with medical conditions or women with small children may eventually parole out of detention.

— cindy carcamo, latimes.com, "Some Americans offer to open up their homes to Central American asylum seekers," 29 Apr. 2018

First Known Use of parole

1776

in the meaning defined above

See Words from the same year

NEW! Time Traveler

Other Legal Terms

actionable, alienable, carceral, chattel, complicity, decedent, larceny, malfeasance, modus operandi

PAROLE Defined for English Language Learners

parole

noun

Definition of parole for English Language Learners

: permission given to a prisoner to leave prison before the end of a sentence usually as a reward for behaving well

parole

verb

Definition of parole for English Language Learners

: to release (a prisoner) on parole

PAROLE Defined for Kids

parole

noun pa·role \ pə-ˈrōl \

Definition of parole for Students

: an early release of a prisoner

Medical Dictionary

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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parolable

adjective

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parole

transitive verb paroled; paroling

Law Dictionary

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

Origin and Etymology of parole

Old French, speech, word, prisoner's word of honor to fulfill stated conditions, from Late Latin parabola speech, parable, from Greek parabolē comparison