as in prisons
a place of confinement for persons held in lawful custody
sentenced to three years in jail for his crime
Synonyms & Similar Words
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
as in imprisons
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
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Recent Examples of jails
Elise Hammond, CNN Money, 23 Jan. 2026
One allows corrections officers at local jails to flag a noncitizen who is arrested to ICE and detain them for 48 hours.
—Jt Moodee Lockman, CBS News, 22 Jan. 2026
Kirkmeyer, of Brighton, said delaying full payment for jails could increase the risks for the people in the jails and the staff members overseeing them.
—Seth Klamann, Denver Post, 22 Jan. 2026
There are many of us survivors on the streets and in California’s jails and prisons who’ve been presented with little opportunity beyond incarceration or death.
—Claudia Gonzalez, Mercury News, 22 Jan. 2026
The Minnesota Department of Corrections contacted all county jails in the state Monday to ask how many people in custody had immigration detention holds.
—Mara H. Gottfried, Twin Cities, 22 Jan. 2026
In response, the city council approved an ordinance to provide the city with oversight over confinement centers and jails being built without undergoing zoning review.
—Isa Almeida, Oklahoman, 22 Jan. 2026
The idea for my first novel, The Midnight Taxi, was born in part from my desire to spread the word about innocent people in prison and jails across the country.
—Yosha Gunasekera, PEOPLE, 21 Jan. 2026
Some of those people have been arrested directly by ICE agents while others have been arrested by other law enforcement agencies, placed on immigration holds within county jails and then arrested by ICE while being held.
—Juan Cordoba, Arkansas Online, 12 Jan. 2026
Kim Aris, Time, 7 Nov. 2025
Noun
The group said federal immigration officials were sending detainees from the Whipple building to Minnesota county jails, according to a letter sent to the federal government requesting the name change.
—Elise Hammond, CNN Money, 23 Jan. 2026
One allows corrections officers at local jails to flag a noncitizen who is arrested to ICE and detain them for 48 hours.
—Jt Moodee Lockman, CBS News, 22 Jan. 2026
Kirkmeyer, of Brighton, said delaying full payment for jails could increase the risks for the people in the jails and the staff members overseeing them.
—Seth Klamann, Denver Post, 22 Jan. 2026
There are many of us survivors on the streets and in California’s jails and prisons who’ve been presented with little opportunity beyond incarceration or death.
—Claudia Gonzalez, Mercury News, 22 Jan. 2026
The Minnesota Department of Corrections contacted all county jails in the state Monday to ask how many people in custody had immigration detention holds.
—Mara H. Gottfried, Twin Cities, 22 Jan. 2026
In response, the city council approved an ordinance to provide the city with oversight over confinement centers and jails being built without undergoing zoning review.
—Isa Almeida, Oklahoman, 22 Jan. 2026
The idea for my first novel, The Midnight Taxi, was born in part from my desire to spread the word about innocent people in prison and jails across the country.
—Yosha Gunasekera, PEOPLE, 21 Jan. 2026
Some of those people have been arrested directly by ICE agents while others have been arrested by other law enforcement agencies, placed on immigration holds within county jails and then arrested by ICE while being held.
—Juan Cordoba, Arkansas Online, 12 Jan. 2026
Verb
The regime that jails children also profits from drugs, human trafficking, and online scams.
—Kim Aris, Time, 7 Nov. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for jails
Noun
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The request comes as the state's prisons are overflowing with inmates, and the department is over budget by millions of dollars.—
Shaun Boyd,
CBS News,
23 Jan. 2026
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More than a quarter also have no criminal connection to Minnesota except for being held in one of the state's four federal prisons.—
Deena Winter The Minnesota Star Tribune,
Arkansas Online,
23 Jan. 2026
Verb
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Afwerki routinely imprisons his critics and political opponents and has implemented a policy of indefinite mandatory military and national service for residents, which human-rights watchdogs say amounts to slavery.—
Zak Cheney-Rice,
Vulture,
6 Nov. 2025
Noun
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The wave of prison violence is happening despite the deployment of military and police forces in several penitentiaries.—
Michael Rios,
CNN Money,
8 Dec. 2025
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After his conviction, Gray was sent to Angola, one of the most violent penitentiaries in the country at the time.—
Richard A. Webster,
ProPublica,
25 Aug. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Jails.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/jails. Accessed 25 Jan. 2026.
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