1
as in jail
a place of confinement for persons held in lawful custody
the ongoing debate whether drug users should go to prison
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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
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of prison
In states that voted for Trump, ICE agents are most likely to arrest immigrants directly from prisons and jails.
—
Olivia Kemp, CNN Money, 7 Aug. 2025
In 1986, when Crosby was out of prison on drug charges and newly sober, Dad joined him on a white-water-rafting trip.
—Nancy Walecki, The Atlantic, 7 Aug. 2025
In exchange, officials agreed to a sentence of 33-60 years in prison for the murder charge plus an additional two years of incarceration for the weapons charge, the Wayne County Prosecutor’s Office said in a news release.
—Darcie Moran, Freep.com, 31 July 2025
Brendan Doyle, who was also convicted of identity theft and robbery, was sentenced last year to 28 years and eight months to life in prison.
—City News Service, San Diego Union-Tribune, 31 July 2025
See All Example Sentences for prison
Olivia Kemp, CNN Money, 7 Aug. 2025
In 1986, when Crosby was out of prison on drug charges and newly sober, Dad joined him on a white-water-rafting trip.
—Nancy Walecki, The Atlantic, 7 Aug. 2025
In exchange, officials agreed to a sentence of 33-60 years in prison for the murder charge plus an additional two years of incarceration for the weapons charge, the Wayne County Prosecutor’s Office said in a news release.
—Darcie Moran, Freep.com, 31 July 2025
Brendan Doyle, who was also convicted of identity theft and robbery, was sentenced last year to 28 years and eight months to life in prison.
—City News Service, San Diego Union-Tribune, 31 July 2025
See All Example Sentences for prison
Recent Examples of Synonyms for prison
Noun
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The Associated Press in 2021 investigated how the technology landed a Chicago grandfather in jail after it was used as evidence to charge him with murder, with a judge later dismissing the case due to insufficient evidence.—
R. Christian Smith,
Chicago Tribune,
8 Aug. 2025
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Last year, Estrada was already in county jail for unrelated reasons when he was arrested on suspicion of Coriz’s murder.—
City News Service,
San Diego Union-Tribune,
7 Aug. 2025
Noun
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Israel believes that as few as 20 hostages remain alive in Hamas captivity — many in critical condition, with only days left to live.—
Efrat Lachter , David Hammelburg,
FOXNews.com,
5 Aug. 2025
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An additional 251 were taken hostage by Hamas, 50 of whom are still believed to be in the group's captivity.—
Tom O'Connor,
MSNBC Newsweek,
24 July 2025
Noun
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In the southeastern Zaporizhzhia region, a Russian glide bomb attack on a local penitentiary killed 17 inmates and wounded more than 80 others in one of the deadliest strikes in the region to date.—
Katya Soldak,
Forbes.com,
31 July 2025
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Based on true events, the Gorgona Island prison, 34 miles off the Pacific coast, was once one of the most brutal of tropical penitentiary for murderers, rapists and political prisoners, notorious for its use of torture.—
John Hopewell,
Variety,
15 July 2025
Noun
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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
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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
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Combs was convicted of transportation to engage in prostitution, which the judge said mandates incarceration.—
Aaron Katersky,
ABC News,
4 Aug. 2025
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But the effort — involving mass incarceration, including at a notorious megaprison — has been criticized by rights groups for rounding up huge numbers of innocent people as well.—
Prashant Rao,
semafor.com,
1 Aug. 2025
Noun
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Now, the 37-year-old mom is charged with neglect of a child, four counts of confinement of an animal without food and three counts of cruelty to animals, records show.—
Olivia Lloyd,
Miami Herald,
6 Aug. 2025
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Radford has been interviewed by Army investigators and is in pretrial confinement, Lubas said.—
Emily Shapiro,
ABC News,
6 Aug. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Prison.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/prison. Accessed 19 Aug. 2025.
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