Synonyms of jail

jail 1 of 2

noun

ˈjāl 

as in prison

a place of confinement for persons held in lawful custody

sentenced to three years in jail for his crime

Synonyms & Similar Words

• prison
• penitentiary
• brig
• jailhouse
• slammer
• lockup
• stockade
• hoosegow
• bridewell
• calaboose
• pen
• coop
• bastille
• guardroom
• cage
• big house
• cooler
• clink
• hock
• pokey
• jug
• tolbooth
• dungeon
• cell
• stir
• joint
• tank
• can
• quod
• slam
• nick
• hold
• ward
• bull pen
• guardhouse
• hole
• gulag
• prison camp
• labor camp
• reformatory
• concentration camp
• stalag
• block
• work camp
• keep
• glasshouse
• oubliette
• reform school
• hulk(s)
• training school

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

• outside

jail

2 of 2

verb

as in to imprison

to put in or as if in prison

threatened to jail the punks if they so much as jaywalked

Synonyms & Similar Words

• imprison
• incarcerate
• intern
• arrest
• confine
• detain
• commit
• lock (up)
• restrain
• catch
• immure
• shut
• gate
• jug
• capture
• limit
• apprehend
• bar
• restrict
• seize
• constrain
• keep
• impound
• bind
• hold
• bust
• impress
• pinch
• nab
• handcuff
• shackle
• pick up
• shanghai
• fetter
• manacle
• enchain
• trammel

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

• free
• release
• liberate
• discharge
• emancipate
• manumit
• unchain
• enfranchise
• unbind
• unfetter
• uncage

Example Sentences

Recent Examples of jail

Noun

Per the jail records, her surety bond was set at $35,000 on the involuntary manslaughter charge and $5,000 on the cruelty to children charge. — Adam England, PEOPLE, 16 July 2026

Mamdani watches World Cup semifinal with Rikers inmates New York Mayor Zohran Mamdani visited Rikers Island jail where inmates watched England face Argentina in the FIFA World Cup semifinal. — Ben Church, CNN Money, 16 July 2026

Verb

The former leader remains jailed while appealing a life sentence for rebellion and a 30-year term over provocative drone flights, a saga that has tested South Korea’s democratic institutions. — Kim Tong-Hyung, Los Angeles Times, 9 July 2026

The code criminalized traditional healers, who could be jailed for offering spiritual guidance. — Kerri J. Malloy, The Conversation, 9 July 2026