1
as in jail
a place of confinement for persons held in lawful custody
the ongoing debate whether drug users should go to prison
Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in captivity
the act of confining or the state of being confined
the view that prison does nothing to cure the criminal—if anything, it makes him worse
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
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 prison
The two charges carry a maximum penalty of six years in prison and a $350,000 fine.
—
Daniel Bice, jsonline.com, 30 July 2025
Companies could now face serious penalties, with charges including tariff avoidance that earn violators up to 20 years in prison.
—Kate Nishimura, Sourcing Journal, 30 July 2025
He is charged with second-degree murder and, if convicted, would face between 25 years to life in prison.
—Rafael Olmeda, Sun Sentinel, 30 July 2025
The case against Allen relied largely on an unspent round found between the girls' bodies that investigators alleged had been cycled through Allen's Sig Sauer, Model P226, .40-caliber handgun and on the dozens of confessions Allen made while awaiting trial in prison.
—Erin Jensen, USA Today, 30 July 2025
See All Example Sentences for prison
Daniel Bice, jsonline.com, 30 July 2025
Companies could now face serious penalties, with charges including tariff avoidance that earn violators up to 20 years in prison.
—Kate Nishimura, Sourcing Journal, 30 July 2025
He is charged with second-degree murder and, if convicted, would face between 25 years to life in prison.
—Rafael Olmeda, Sun Sentinel, 30 July 2025
The case against Allen relied largely on an unspent round found between the girls' bodies that investigators alleged had been cycled through Allen's Sig Sauer, Model P226, .40-caliber handgun and on the dozens of confessions Allen made while awaiting trial in prison.
—Erin Jensen, USA Today, 30 July 2025
See All Example Sentences for prison
Recent Examples of Synonyms for prison
Noun
-
The American-Statesman and KVUE-TV recently discovered dozens of instances in which felony defendants stayed in jail well beyond 90 days without an indictment.—
Tony Plohetski,
Austin American Statesman,
30 July 2025
-
Ghaly pleaded guilty to vehicular manslaughter with gross negligence and was sentenced in November to 230 days in jail, plus probation.—
City News Service,
San Diego Union-Tribune,
30 July 2025
Noun
-
Zelenskyy said in a post on X that some of the Ukrainians released had been in Russian captivity since 2022.—
Mithil Aggarwal,
NBC news,
4 July 2025
-
People in Tenafly, N.J., watch a live broadcast in anticipation of the release of Israeli-American hostage Edan Alexander, a Tenafly native, from Hamas captivity in Gaza, on Monday, May 12, 2025.—
Amira El-Fekki,
MSNBC Newsweek,
4 July 2025
Noun
-
But local officials and historians have questioned the practical and symbolic implications of converting the island back into a penitentiary.—
Kate Talerico,
Mercury News,
17 July 2025
-
Her various occupations, paid and unpaid, included teaching convicts at an area penitentiary and substitute-teaching in junior high.—
Inga,
San Diego Union-Tribune,
23 June 2025
Noun
-
The restaurant, located at 810 1/2 E. 31st St., was opened in 1951 by Paul and Kitty Kawakami, a Japanese-American couple who was confined in a California internment camp during World War II despite both being born in the U.S., according to The Star’s archives.—
Kansas City Star,
Kansas City Star,
25 July 2025
-
Her grandfather, along with other family members, was imprisoned during World War II in the Japanese internment camps, losing the family farm in the process.—
Brittany Anas,
Denver Post,
23 July 2025
Noun
-
The impact of their monthslong incarceration extended beyond them.—
ProPublica,
ProPublica,
23 July 2025
-
As alarming as this situation is, the toxic brew of brutal incarceration, migrant abuse, and private interests has a deep, dark history in Florida.—
Time,
Time,
17 July 2025
Noun
-
As a result, inmates who could be placed in community halfway houses or home confinement end up staying in prison longer than necessary.—
Walter Pavlo,
Forbes.com,
23 July 2025
-
Microgravity, radiation, confinement and a change in sleep-wake cycles and can exert pressure on cells, driving lower immune systems and making astronauts more susceptible to being sick during or after missions.—
Kenna Hughes-Castleberry,
Space.com,
21 July 2025
Cite this Entry
“Prison.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/prison. Accessed 3 Aug. 2025.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
Share