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
Hands are stabbed, feet are liquidated, fingers are severed, bodies are impaled (at one point an entire butcher block of kitchen knives has to be used to subdue Todd), an ear and a nose are bitten off, shotgun holes are blown into faces, and prison rape is treated as a parlor game.
—
Owen Gleiberman, Variety, 15 Mar. 2026
Aid groups said that deal created open-air prisons with squalid conditions.
—Sam McNeil, Los Angeles Times, 15 Mar. 2026
While promoting the film, Panahi was sentenced to a year in prison.
—ABC News, 15 Mar. 2026
The attack on the Michigan synagogue took place on the same day as a former Army National Guard member, who served years in prison for attempting to aid the Islamic State, opened fire on a classroom at Old Dominion University in Virginia, killing one person and wounding two others.
—Lucia I Suarez Sang, CBS News, 15 Mar. 2026
See All Example Sentences for prison
Owen Gleiberman, Variety, 15 Mar. 2026
Aid groups said that deal created open-air prisons with squalid conditions.
—Sam McNeil, Los Angeles Times, 15 Mar. 2026
While promoting the film, Panahi was sentenced to a year in prison.
—ABC News, 15 Mar. 2026
The attack on the Michigan synagogue took place on the same day as a former Army National Guard member, who served years in prison for attempting to aid the Islamic State, opened fire on a classroom at Old Dominion University in Virginia, killing one person and wounding two others.
—Lucia I Suarez Sang, CBS News, 15 Mar. 2026
See All Example Sentences for prison
Recent Examples of Synonyms for prison
Noun
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The Sheriff’s Office committed to removing tie-off points from its jails but has not yet completed those renovations.—
Jeff McDonald,
San Diego Union-Tribune,
15 Mar. 2026
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Police said five suspects were detained for questioning, and 17-year-old Maverik Parish was arrested and faces a murder charge, according to jail records.—
Shambhavi Rimal,
Fort Worth Star-Telegram,
15 Mar. 2026
Noun
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Iran’s first act of war against us was the 1979 seizure of the embassy in Tehran and the humiliating 444-day captivity of American diplomats.—
Elan Journo,
Oc Register,
10 Mar. 2026
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Light on plot but lush in atmosphere, this sometimes mesmerizing, sometimes frustrating play examines how these two artistic souls — Maria Celia is a writer, Sofia a pianist — endure their captivity.—
Emily McClanathan,
Chicago Tribune,
9 Mar. 2026
Noun
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Prisons employ hundreds of workers locally at two military facilities, the nation’s first federal penitentiary, a Kansas correctional facility and a county jail, all within six miles of City Hall.—
Heather Hollingsworth,
Los Angeles Times,
13 Mar. 2026
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He was arrested again in Jackson, Mississippi, in 1961 and spent four months in a penitentiary where fellow Freedom Riders cried out in song each night.—
Veronica Ortega,
CBS News,
17 Feb. 2026
Noun
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His family moved to Reno, Nevada, to avoid the Japanese internment during World War II.—
Graham Womack,
Sacbee.com,
15 Mar. 2026
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Walz ordered the flags to fly at half-staff immediately until sunset on the day of Amor's internment.—
Riley Moser,
CBS News,
6 Mar. 2026
Noun
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International human rights observers have long criticized his arrest, trial, and imprisonment.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
12 Mar. 2026
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Senegal has joined countries like Kenya, Sierra Leone, and Tanzania, where penalties can include 10 or more years of imprisonment.—
ABC News,
ABC News,
12 Mar. 2026
Noun
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The housekeeper was already in a drug court program as an alternative to incarceration on other charges when authorities arrested her in connection with the Richins case, investigators said.—
ABC News,
ABC News,
15 Mar. 2026
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At the same time, Connecticut continues to pursue criminal justice reforms aimed at reducing incarceration and expanding diversionary opportunities for offenders.—
Keith Wortz,
Hartford Courant,
13 Mar. 2026
Noun
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The Save Our Bacon Act would negate California’s Proposition 12 and forbid states from making laws regarding animal confinement, according to a Harvard analysis.—
Los Angeles Times,
Los Angeles Times,
12 Mar. 2026
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He was sentenced to 20 months in prison but served some of that time on home confinement.—
Jay Stahl,
USA Today,
10 Mar. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Prison.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/prison. Accessed 19 Mar. 2026.
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