jail 1 of 2

Definition of jailnext

jail

2 of 2

verb

Example Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of jail
Noun
Smuggling — sometimes by rope, sometimes with the help of corrupt jail guards — has long been a problem at the troubled federal jail, which has been plagued by violence, horrific conditions and severe staffing shortages for years. John Annese, New York Daily News, 29 Mar. 2026 Panicci was taken to jail and booked on theft charges. David Fleshler, Sun Sentinel, 29 Mar. 2026
Verb
Both have remained jailed at a Brooklyn detention center, and neither has asked to be released on bail. Regina Garcia Cano, Chicago Tribune, 26 Mar. 2026 In her decision to remand Wagner to jail without bail, 36th District Court Magistrate Delphia Burton said the similarities of the cases suggest there was deliberate intent to hurt the victims. Elaine Rojas-Castillo, CBS News, 26 Mar. 2026 See All Example Sentences for jail
Recent Examples of Synonyms for jail
Noun
  • He was beaten by security forces, arrested and sentenced to 14 years in prison.
    Kate Linthicum, Los Angeles Times, 29 Mar. 2026
  • During his 12-year pontificate, Francis famously celebrated the Holy Thursday ritual by traveling to Rome-area prisons and refugee centers to wash the feet of people most on society’s margins.
    ABC News, ABC News, 29 Mar. 2026
Verb
  • Even after bringing him back stateside on a federal judge’s orders, criminal and immigration prosecutors have not stopped either trying to imprison or deport him, throwing the full weight of the federal government against one ordinary man.
    New York Daily News Editorial Board, New York Daily News, 29 Mar. 2026
  • The Tribune found Chicago’s final costs to resolve claims in murder exonerations since 2010 averaged nearly $560,000 for each year the person was wrongfully imprisoned — and nearly $100,000 of that amount went to pay private lawyers.
    Joe Mahr, Chicago Tribune, 29 Mar. 2026
Noun
  • But Wood’s penitentiary is considerably sturdier.
    Robert Rubsam, The Atlantic, 26 Mar. 2026
  • The former president was hospitalized on March 13 after feeling ill at the Papuda penitentiary in the Brazilian capital.
    ABC News, ABC News, 23 Mar. 2026
Verb
  • After playing baseball in college and a short stint in the minors, Jerry Lewis started his own business to help other aspiring entrepreneurs, particularly those who had been incarcerated or in gangs, to launch their own companies, his son said.
    Tess Kenny, Chicago Tribune, 26 Mar. 2026
  • Filming in a constricting boxy aspect ratio, the Ukrainian director takes us inside a corroding prison filled with men unjustly incarcerated as enemies of the state.
    Tim Grierson, Los Angeles Times, 26 Mar. 2026

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Cite this Entry

“Jail.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/jail. Accessed 1 Apr. 2026.

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