1,400 new words in our dictionary! — Parasocial, glow-up, promposal & more
1,400 new words in our dictionary! — More

jailed 1 of 2

adjective

as in arrested
taken and held prisoner the jailed protestors were noisily demanding to see their lawyers

Synonyms & Similar Words

Relevance

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

jailed

2 of 2

verb

past tense of jail
as in imprisoned
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 jailed
Adjective
On many mornings, shackled migrants plead guilty to military trespass charges rather than remain jailed awaiting trial. — Agnel Philip, ProPublica, 16 Mar. 2026
Verb
The Belarusian opposition has welcomed Coale's efforts as an important humanitarian mission, but emphasized that Lukashenko's government has jailed more political prisoners. — Arkansas Online, 16 Sep. 2026 Jacobs was jailed but released the following day after the Brown County District Attorney’s Office found insufficient evidence to pursue criminal charges. — Zach Powell, New York Times, 16 Sep. 2026 The Belarusian opposition has welcomed Coale’s efforts as an important humanitarian mission, but emphasized that Lukashenko’s government has jailed more political prisoners. — Yuras Karmanau, Los Angeles Times, 15 Sep. 2026 He was jailed for three years, and seven others were convicted for crimes linked to the heist. — Makini Brice, USA Today, 15 Sep. 2026 They were each jailed for between 13 and 17 months, though all have since been released and deported. — Oscar Holland, CNN Money, 14 Sep. 2026 The indictment says Lam continued communicating with associates after he was jailed in Miami. — Antonio María Delgado, Miami Herald, 9 Sep. 2026 On Friday, Morphew was arrested and jailed in Boulder County on the order of Alamosa County District Judge Amanda Hopkins. — ABC News, 8 Sep. 2026 The man surrendered without incident and was jailed without bond on charges of murder and attempted first-degree murder, Barkley said. — Joe Marusak, Charlotte Observer, 5 Sep. 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for jailed
  1. imprisoned
  2. interned
  3. captive
  4. incarcerated
Adjective
  • Last year, the PKK — considered a terrorist organization by Turkey and its Western allies — announced its decision to disband, following a call by its imprisoned leader, Abdullah Ocalan.
    — Los Angeles Times, Los Angeles Times, 18 Aug. 2026
  • The move came in response to a call from its imprisoned leader, Abdullah Ocalan.
    — ABC News, ABC News, 10 Aug. 2026
Definition of imprisoned
Verb
  • Peyton Stewart was a 21-year-old international business major who grew up with her sister in Westwood, New Jersey, studied abroad in London and interned at TikTok.
    — Amanda Lee Myers, USA Today, 4 Sep. 2026
  • Johnson hired a young Ossoff as a staffer on the recommendation of the late Georgia Congressman John Lewis, the civil rights icon Ossoff interned for and considered a mentor.
    — Sam Gringlas, NPR, 27 Aug. 2026
Definition of interned
Adjective
  • The fathers of classmates had vanished — farmers held captive until their family could pay ransom.
    — Kate Linthicum, Los Angeles Times, 6 Sep. 2026
  • Two employees of a Korean company in Haiti who spent weeks captive after being kidnapped by an armed gang in Port-au-Prince have been safely released, according to a statement from South Korea’s Foreign Ministry shared with the Miami Herald.
    — Jacqueline Charles, Miami Herald, 3 Sep. 2026
Definition of captive
Verb
  • Carpenter, now 62, has been incarcerated at York Correctional Institution in Niantic for 25 years.
    — Greg Smith, Hartford Courant, 8 Sep. 2026
  • People in crisis incarcerated in Joliet have set over 60 fires since summer 2024, including eight cases of self-immolation and, after guards impeded access to lifesaving care, at least one death.
    — Joan Steffen, Chicago Tribune, 7 Sep. 2026
Definition of incarcerated

Browse Nearby Words

jailbreaks
jailed
jailer
See all Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Jailed.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/jailed. Accessed 17 Sep. 2026.

Copy Citation
Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!

More from Merriam-Webster

Word of the Day

Listen to the pronunciation of watershed

See Definitions and Examples »

Popular in Grammar & Usage

See More

Why do we use apostrophes to show possession?

Merriam-Webster’s Great Big List of Words You Love to Hate

The Exceptions of '-s' and '-es' Plurals

A Who’s Who Regarding ‘Who’s’ and ‘Whose’

'A' or 'an'? What about before 'h'? An Indefinite Article Guide
See More

Popular in Wordplay

See More

9 Words That Sound Like Insults But Aren't

Back to School Vocabulary

Words from the 'Odyssey'

14 Phobias You Probably Haven't Heard Of

The Words of the Week - Sept. 18
See More

Popular

See More

Why do we use apostrophes to show possession?

9 Words That Sound Like Insults But Aren't

Back to School Vocabulary
See More

Games & Quizzes

See All
Play Quordle: Guess all four words in a limited number of tries. Each of your guesses must be a real 5-letter word.
Quordle Can you solve 4 words at once?
Play Blossom: Solve today's spelling word game by finding as many words as you can using just 7 letters. Longer words score more points.
Blossom Pick the best words!
Play Missing Letter: a crossword with a twist. Each of the 25 puzzle words start with a different letter of the alphabet. Which letter is missing?
The Missing Letter A daily crossword with a twist
funny guinea pig in glasses reading a book
Challenging Words You Should Know Vol 2 Words to the wise
See All