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
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of jails
E. Tammy Kim, New Yorker, 7 May 2026
It was not considered controversial when the Obama administration placed immigration enforcement officials in county jails to coordinate the removal of individuals convicted of serious crimes, so that same level of cooperation should not be controversial today.
—David Garrick, San Diego Union-Tribune, 7 May 2026
What is your strategy for addressing the ongoing safety issues and overcrowding in LA County jails?
—Sierra Van Der Brug, Daily News, 7 May 2026
Kamlager-Dove’s bill, called the Pregnant Women in Custody Act, would require the federal government to collect data on pregnancies — how many, the treatment, the outcomes — not only in local jails, but also in federal and state lockups, including immigration detention facilities.
—Jon Schuppe, NBC news, 7 May 2026
But the sad but simple reality is that New York, like other cities and states over the decades, have left the mentally ill to languish in jails, on streets, in nursing homes and on subways without adequate care or support.
—New York Daily News Editorial Board, New York Daily News, 6 May 2026
Earlier on Thursday, her sentence was reduced by a further one-sixth as part of a wider amnesty of all prisoners in Myanmar’s jails.
—CNN Money, 1 May 2026
Those costs are only going up and don't include money being spent at county jails, including the Allegheny County Jail.
—Andy Sheehan, CBS News, 1 May 2026
Luna points to reforms he’s made inside the jails as proof that conditions are improving.
—Los Angeles Times, 1 May 2026
Monroe Trombly, Louisville Courier Journal, 24 Feb. 2026
China, which jails human rights activists in Hong Kong, persecutes Uyghurs, has killed hundreds of thousands of Tibetans and has committed genocide against the Falun Gong, is on the UN Human Rights Council.
—Voice Of The People, New York Daily News, 18 Feb. 2026
The regime that jails children also profits from drugs, human trafficking, and online scams.
—Kim Aris, Time, 7 Nov. 2025
Noun
The field office constantly coördinated with local social-services agencies, hospitals, funeral homes, jails.
—E. Tammy Kim, New Yorker, 7 May 2026
It was not considered controversial when the Obama administration placed immigration enforcement officials in county jails to coordinate the removal of individuals convicted of serious crimes, so that same level of cooperation should not be controversial today.
—David Garrick, San Diego Union-Tribune, 7 May 2026
What is your strategy for addressing the ongoing safety issues and overcrowding in LA County jails?
—Sierra Van Der Brug, Daily News, 7 May 2026
Kamlager-Dove’s bill, called the Pregnant Women in Custody Act, would require the federal government to collect data on pregnancies — how many, the treatment, the outcomes — not only in local jails, but also in federal and state lockups, including immigration detention facilities.
—Jon Schuppe, NBC news, 7 May 2026
But the sad but simple reality is that New York, like other cities and states over the decades, have left the mentally ill to languish in jails, on streets, in nursing homes and on subways without adequate care or support.
—New York Daily News Editorial Board, New York Daily News, 6 May 2026
Earlier on Thursday, her sentence was reduced by a further one-sixth as part of a wider amnesty of all prisoners in Myanmar’s jails.
—CNN Money, 1 May 2026
Those costs are only going up and don't include money being spent at county jails, including the Allegheny County Jail.
—Andy Sheehan, CBS News, 1 May 2026
Luna points to reforms he’s made inside the jails as proof that conditions are improving.
—Los Angeles Times, 1 May 2026
Verb
The facility is one of 11 Kentucky jails that contract with ICE to detain people.
—Monroe Trombly, Louisville Courier Journal, 24 Feb. 2026
China, which jails human rights activists in Hong Kong, persecutes Uyghurs, has killed hundreds of thousands of Tibetans and has committed genocide against the Falun Gong, is on the UN Human Rights Council.
—Voice Of The People, New York Daily News, 18 Feb. 2026
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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In recent years, California has closed five prisons, with another potentially coming.—
Sarah Anderson,
Oc Register,
7 May 2026
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Over time, federal prosecutors say, several of these groups operating in the prisons evolved into violent criminal organizations such as Los Tiburones and Ñetas, with memberships in the thousands.—
Raquel Rutledge,
ProPublica,
5 May 2026
Verb
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Belarus now imprisons 28 journalists as President Lukashenko intensifies a crackdown on press freedom.—
Yuras Karmanau,
Los Angeles Times,
9 Mar. 2026
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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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Behind bars in state penitentiaries in Gatesville and Marlin, Mejia felt forgotten.—
Emiliano Tahui Gómez,
Austin American Statesman,
17 Mar. 2026
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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
Cite this Entry
“Jails.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/jails. Accessed 9 May. 2026.
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