prisoner

noun

pris·​on·​er ˈpriz-nər 

ˈpri-zᵊn-ər

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

see also take-no-prisoners, take no prisoners

Synonyms

• captive
• capture

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 on the Web

One concrete action point is the social work done with prisoners in prison. —Kristen Edgreen Kaufman, Forbes.com, 8 Sep. 2025

In exchange, Israel would release a number of Palestinian prisoners. —Oren Liebermann, CNN Money, 8 Sep. 2025

At the same time that Jackson and his team are preparing the trial, the army dispatches psychiatrist Douglas Kelley (Rami Malek) to get into the prisoners’ minds before they are tried. —Kate Erbland, IndieWire, 8 Sep. 2025

The Savage Beastfly takes prisoners. —Keller Gordon, NPR, 8 Sep. 2025

Word History

First Known Use

14th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Phrases Containing prisoner

• co-prisoner
• political prisoner
• prisoner of conscience
• prisoner of war
• prisoner's base
• take (someone) prisoner

Kids Definition

prisoner

noun

pris·​on·​er ˈpriz-nər 

-ᵊn-ər

: a person who has been captured or locked up

Legal Definition

prisoner

noun

pris·​on·​er

: 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