1
as in jail
a place of confinement for persons held in lawful custody
the ongoing debate whether drug users should go to prison
Synonyms & Similar Words
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in captivity
the act of confining or the state of being confined
the view that prison does nothing to cure the criminal—if anything, it makes him worse
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of prison
Richards served four-and-a-half years in prison for robbery in the late 1980s.
—
Nicholas Williams, New York Daily News, 1 Feb. 2026
Rodríguez also announced the shutdown of Helicoide, a prison in Caracas where torture and other human rights abuses have been repeatedly documented by independent organizations.
—Los Angeles Times, 1 Feb. 2026
Panahi was sentenced, in absentia, to a year in prison and given a two-year work ban by the Iranian government in December.
—Scott Roxborough, HollywoodReporter, 1 Feb. 2026
Hall was sentenced to life in prison.
—Audrey Abrahams, NBC news, 1 Feb. 2026
See All Example Sentences for prison
Nicholas Williams, New York Daily News, 1 Feb. 2026
Rodríguez also announced the shutdown of Helicoide, a prison in Caracas where torture and other human rights abuses have been repeatedly documented by independent organizations.
—Los Angeles Times, 1 Feb. 2026
Panahi was sentenced, in absentia, to a year in prison and given a two-year work ban by the Iranian government in December.
—Scott Roxborough, HollywoodReporter, 1 Feb. 2026
Hall was sentenced to life in prison.
—Audrey Abrahams, NBC news, 1 Feb. 2026
See All Example Sentences for prison
Recent Examples of Synonyms for prison
Noun
-
He will be transferred to the county jail once he is released from the hospital.—
Landon Mion,
FOXNews.com,
2 Feb. 2026
-
Jackson was not listed on the Pulaski County jail's roster Sunday night.—
arkansasonline.com,
arkansasonline.com,
2 Feb. 2026
Noun
-
The denial aligned with Canada’s 2019 ban on whale and dolphin captivity, though Marineland’s animals were exempt under grandfathering provisions.—
Moná Thomas,
PEOPLE,
29 Jan. 2026
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That is consistent with a 2019 law that banned whale and dolphin captivity, though Marineland's animals were grandfathered in.—
CBS News,
CBS News,
27 Jan. 2026
Noun
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Author Ta-Nehisi Coates, an 8-year-old in West Baltimore at the time of the murder, offers piercing commentary on the impact of both the initial crime and the succeeding one, the grievously unjust trial that put three kids in the penitentiary.—
Sheri Linden,
HollywoodReporter,
28 Jan. 2026
-
Central Time Wednesday following a lethal injection at the state penitentiary in Huntsville.—
CBS News,
CBS News,
28 Jan. 2026
Noun
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Lillian Greenhut's late husband, Kurt Greenhut, was a child Holocaust survivor who endured internment in a concentration camp.—
Charlie Lapastora,
CBS News,
28 Jan. 2026
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People living in Washington, Oregon, California, and Arizona were forced to leave their homes and property and were sent to 10 internment camps in Arkansas, Arizona, California, Idaho, Utah, Wyoming and Colorado.—
Jessica Alvarado Gamez,
Denver Post,
27 Jan. 2026
Noun
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He is charged with grand larceny, kidnapping, unauthorized use of a vehicle and unlawful imprisonment, cops said.—
Colin Mixson,
New York Daily News,
3 Feb. 2026
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Bukele brought murder rates in El Salvador to historic lows through a gargantuan imprisonment campaign and police crackdown, but faces numerous allegations of human rights violations, especially regarding his notorious Terrorism Confinement Center (CECOT).—
Djenane Villanueva,
CNN Money,
1 Feb. 2026
Noun
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His lawyers also stressed the difficult conditions behind bars for Stanley since his incarceration for this crime.—
Mike Hellgren,
CBS News,
3 Feb. 2026
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But in the invisibly sculpting hands of Swiss director Petra Volpe and the exquisite performances of two first-rate actors, Kingsley Ben-Adir and Rob Morgan, Frank & Louis is an uncommonly tender incarceration drama.—
David Rooney,
HollywoodReporter,
30 Jan. 2026
Noun
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Detainers are federal requests to local law enforcement to detain individuals for up to 48 hours after they're set to be released from criminal confinement — which gives ICE time to decide whether to take them into custody to begin deportation proceedings.—
Nicole Sganga,
CBS News,
3 Feb. 2026
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As a result of the parents' confinement, the family dog also only goes outside in a limited capacity.—
Alicia Victoria Lozano,
NBC news,
31 Jan. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Prison.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/prison. Accessed 7 Feb. 2026.
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