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
Relevance
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
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
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 jail
Tristan Maglunog, ABC News, 12 Apr. 2026
He was sentenced three months later to five years in jail, suspended, and five years of probation, according to court records.
—Justin Muszynski, Hartford Courant, 11 Apr. 2026
Jessica Schladebeck, New York Daily News, 8 Apr. 2026
Kahn has been jailed since his arrest.
—CBS News, 8 Apr. 2026
See All Example Sentences for jail
Noun
Michelle Dick, 55, was arrested without incident in Fort Wayne, Indiana, on Saturday and is currently being held at the Allen County jail pending extradition to California, police said.
—Tristan Maglunog, ABC News, 12 Apr. 2026
He was sentenced three months later to five years in jail, suspended, and five years of probation, according to court records.
—Justin Muszynski, Hartford Courant, 11 Apr. 2026
Verb
Lil Tjay was briefly jailed on suspicion of misdemeanor disorderly conduct-affray before he was released on $500 bond.
—Jessica Schladebeck, New York Daily News, 8 Apr. 2026
Kahn has been jailed since his arrest.
—CBS News, 8 Apr. 2026
See All Example Sentences for jail
Recent Examples of Synonyms for jail
Noun
-
Back then, Motta was still in law school and Alfortish had only just been released from prison.—
Patrick Radden Keefe,
New Yorker,
13 Apr. 2026
-
After being admonished by the judge, Terry Rose listens as he is sentenced to 40 years in prison.—
Peter Van Sant,
CBS News,
12 Apr. 2026
Verb
-
Fighters who were not killed in the final battle in Baghuz, Syria, were imprisoned and their families detained.—
Jane Arraf,
NPR,
11 Apr. 2026
-
It was awarded the 2022 Nobel Peace Prize, less than a year after Moscow launched its full-scale invasion of Ukraine, alongside Belarusian activist Ales Bialiatski, who was imprisoned at the time, and the Ukrainian organization Center for Civil Liberties.—
Dasha Litvinova,
Los Angeles Times,
9 Apr. 2026
Noun
-
The government opened the federal penitentiary on Alcatraz in 1934, hoping to use the remote island to house particularly difficult prisoners, according to the National Park Service.—
Justine McDaniel,
Los Angeles Times,
3 Apr. 2026
-
But Wood’s penitentiary is considerably sturdier.—
Robert Rubsam,
The Atlantic,
26 Mar. 2026
Verb
-
Fiapoto has previously been incarcerated for weapons charges, after a 2022 gang sweep in San Francisco.—
Nate Gartrell,
Mercury News,
17 Apr. 2026
-
Prior to being incarcerated, Matsumoto’s grandparents owned a grocery store in downtown Los Angeles.—
Myrna Petlicki,
Chicago Tribune,
16 Apr. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Jail.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/jail. Accessed 17 Apr. 2026.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
