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
Rajoub once served as Palestinian President Yasser Arafat’s national security adviser and spent 17 years in various Israeli prisons.
—
Chris Jones, The Atlantic, 7 June 2026
He’ll be sentenced this summer and faces up to 30 years in prison.
—Las Vegas Review-Journal, Twin Cities, 7 June 2026
Tehran’s Revolutionary Court has upheld a one-year prison sentence against Palme d’Or-winning filmmaker Jafar Panahi who in December had been sentenced in absentia on charges of engaging in propaganda activities against the Iranian state.
—Nick Vivarelli, Variety, 7 June 2026
DeMore, who served 12 years as a prosecutor in the Suffolk DA’s office along with seven years as a criminal defense attorney, would have been the lone ex-prosecutor on the Parole Board — which has been releasing dozens of first-degree murderers from prison.
—Rick Sobey, Boston Herald, 7 June 2026
See All Example Sentences for prison
Chris Jones, The Atlantic, 7 June 2026
He’ll be sentenced this summer and faces up to 30 years in prison.
—Las Vegas Review-Journal, Twin Cities, 7 June 2026
Tehran’s Revolutionary Court has upheld a one-year prison sentence against Palme d’Or-winning filmmaker Jafar Panahi who in December had been sentenced in absentia on charges of engaging in propaganda activities against the Iranian state.
—Nick Vivarelli, Variety, 7 June 2026
DeMore, who served 12 years as a prosecutor in the Suffolk DA’s office along with seven years as a criminal defense attorney, would have been the lone ex-prosecutor on the Parole Board — which has been releasing dozens of first-degree murderers from prison.
—Rick Sobey, Boston Herald, 7 June 2026
See All Example Sentences for prison
Recent Examples of Synonyms for prison
Noun
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Abdulrahman Oriyomi, 25, was charged with felony impairing or interrupting operation of a critical infrastructure facility last week and was booked into jail in Harris County, Texas, on Friday, according to court records.—
Sneha Dhandapani,
CNN Money,
7 June 2026
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Panahi was released from his latest stint in jail in February 2023 after going on hunger strike.—
Glenn Garner,
Deadline,
7 June 2026
Noun
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In conservation circles, the technique is known as headstarting — raise an animal in captivity, release it in the wild.—
Nathan Rott,
NPR,
27 May 2026
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The critic drew a parallel to Passengers and The Stepford Wives in noting that the horror of Bear’s wish is ultimately a form of captivity that the film occasionally risks framing as a romance complication rather than a moral catastrophe.—
Hannah Abraham,
Forbes.com,
26 May 2026
Noun
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Mike Braun opened the Speedway Slammer at an Indiana prison, Jim Pillen opened the Cornhusker Clink at a Nebraska work camp, and Jeff Landry opened the Louisiana Lockup in a disused wing of Angola penitentiary.—
Eric Schlosser,
The Atlantic,
4 June 2026
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This includes providing the Colombian military more leeway in the field, signing a new security agreement with Washington and building 10 mega-prisons that mimic Bukele’s network of penitentiaries in El Salvador.—
Daniel DePetris,
Chicago Tribune,
2 June 2026
Noun
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But with Questions 27 & 28, Yamashita is not just seeking to interpret the loyalty debate, and perhaps the experience of internment, by writing fiction about it.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
28 May 2026
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Tursun, 36, told us that her newborn son — one of triplets — had been killed by the Chinese Communist Party and that she was tortured in internment camps.—
Michael Arkush,
Twin Cities,
26 May 2026
Noun
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More people know about arbitrary arrests and imprisonments.—
Nick Miller,
New York Times,
30 May 2026
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The judge sentenced him to 57 months of imprisonment for the fentanyl distribution charge and a consecutive 24 months for violating the conditions of his supervised release.—
Staff Report,
Hartford Courant,
28 May 2026
Noun
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The group, whose goal is to end mass incarceration and address racial disparities in the criminal justice system, said most youth arrests are for non-violent offenses.—
Saleen Martin,
USA Today,
2 June 2026
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Because Ethan will be released back into the family’s care following his incarceration, the judge will take into consideration what the family wants when determining the length of Ethan’s prison term.—
Justin Kroll,
Deadline,
2 June 2026
Noun
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Aurora City Councilman Rob Andrews pleaded guilty to driving under the influence of alcohol in Arapahoe County District Court on Tuesday and was sentenced to home confinement, probation and community service.—
Katie Langford,
Denver Post,
3 June 2026
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He was acquitted of two counts of criminal confinement.—
Meredith Colias-Pete,
Chicago Tribune,
29 May 2026
Cite this Entry
“Prison.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/prison. Accessed 8 Jun. 2026.
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