Definition of prisoner
1 : a person deprived of liberty and kept under involuntary restraint, confinement, or custody; especially : one on trial or in prison
2 : someone restrained as if in prison a prisoner of her own conscience
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Examples of prisoner in a Sentence
He was captured by rebel forces and kept as their prisoner for several months before they set him free.
The families were held prisoner for four days.
Recent Examples of prisoner from the Web
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As the historian James McPherson recounts in Battle Cry of Freedom, in October of that same year, Lee proposed an exchange of prisoners with Union general Ulysses S. Grant.
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Back channels have been used to negotiate peace deals, placate foes, secure the release of prisoners and save face.
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Erin's second word was arraign - which means to call a prisoner to court to answer charges of an indictment.
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Suganob said in the video that he was taken prisoner along with a professor from Mindanao State University, two female church workers and seven teachers.
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During his years at a minimum-security federal prison outside Miami, Noriega got special prisoner of war treatment, allowed to wear his Panamanian military uniform and insignia when in court.
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The striking prisoners had limited themselves to water and salt, although Israeli officials said that Mr. Barghouti had violated the strike at least twice, eating snacks placed in his cell.
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An inmate being transported from a Minnesota state prison in St. Cloud to the prison in Lino Lakes hijacked a transport van full of other prisoners and escaped.
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In 1973, nearly 600 American prisoners of war returned from Vietnam in Operation Homecoming.
These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'prisoner'. Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
First Known Use of prisoner
14th century
PRISONER Defined for English Language Learners
prisoner
playDefinition of prisoner for English Language Learners
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: a person who is kept in a prison
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: a person who has been captured and is being kept somewhere
PRISONER Defined for Kids
prisoner
playDefinition of prisoner for Students
: a person who has been captured or locked up
Law Dictionary
prisoner
Legal Definition of prisoner
: a person deprived of liberty and kept under involuntary restraint, confinement, or custody; especially : one under arrest, awaiting trial, on trial, or serving a prison sentence
Learn More about prisoner
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Thesaurus: All synonyms and antonyms for prisoner Spanish Central: Translation of prisoner Nglish: Translation of prisoner for Spanish speakers Britannica English: Translation of prisoner for Arabic speakers
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