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
Kelly Davis, San Diego Union-Tribune, 8 Nov. 2025
Roughly 80% of people in those jails have not been convicted of a crime.
—Equal Justice Initiative, USA Today, 6 Nov. 2025
But that’s also true of every Democrat who won on Tuesday — including Mamdani himself, who has softened some of his stances on policing including past calls to defund the NYPD and build no new jails.
—Samantha Riedel, Them., 6 Nov. 2025
At the county level, there also law enforcement agencies like the sheriff’s office, as well as jails and courts.
—Shawn Raymundo, AZCentral.com, 6 Nov. 2025
At one point, individual jails may have had their own recipes, and a friendly rivalry between the locations over who had the best bowl may have popped up.
—Jasmine Smith, Southern Living, 30 Oct. 2025
The top consumers of countywide property taxes are the county’s jails, the Jackson Health hospital system, the Sheriff’s Office and the county’s transit system.
—Douglas Hanks, Miami Herald, 30 Oct. 2025
Kim Aris, Time, 7 Nov. 2025
Noun
While proponents of wearable technology in prisons and jails have described it as potentially lifesaving, privacy rights groups and even law enforcement officials say the devices can raise ethical and legal concerns and urge agencies to establish strict rules on data use, retention and consent.
—Kelly Davis, San Diego Union-Tribune, 8 Nov. 2025
Roughly 80% of people in those jails have not been convicted of a crime.
—Equal Justice Initiative, USA Today, 6 Nov. 2025
But that’s also true of every Democrat who won on Tuesday — including Mamdani himself, who has softened some of his stances on policing including past calls to defund the NYPD and build no new jails.
—Samantha Riedel, Them., 6 Nov. 2025
At the county level, there also law enforcement agencies like the sheriff’s office, as well as jails and courts.
—Shawn Raymundo, AZCentral.com, 6 Nov. 2025
At one point, individual jails may have had their own recipes, and a friendly rivalry between the locations over who had the best bowl may have popped up.
—Jasmine Smith, Southern Living, 30 Oct. 2025
The top consumers of countywide property taxes are the county’s jails, the Jackson Health hospital system, the Sheriff’s Office and the county’s transit system.
—Douglas Hanks, Miami Herald, 30 Oct. 2025
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
-
While proponents of wearable technology in prisons and jails have described it as potentially lifesaving, privacy rights groups and even law enforcement officials say the devices can raise ethical and legal concerns and urge agencies to establish strict rules on data use, retention and consent.—
Kelly Davis,
San Diego Union-Tribune,
8 Nov. 2025
-
Advertisement The prisons in Burma are notoriously horrific and where at least two political prisoners die each month, according to rights groups.—
Kim Aris,
Time,
7 Nov. 2025
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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Despite these measures, investigators acknowledge that Brazil’s penitentiaries remain the backbone of command and communication for its largest criminal organizations — a paradox that the state struggles to contain.—
Alessandra Freitas,
CNN Money,
9 Nov. 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 12 Nov. 2025.
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