Synonyms of prison

prison

noun

ˈpri-zᵊn 

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

• jail
• penitentiary
• brig
• jailhouse
• stockade
• slammer
• lockup
• bridewell
• hoosegow
• coop
• guardroom
• pen
• bastille
• calaboose
• cage
• cooler
• big house
• pokey
• clink
• tolbooth
• hock
• dungeon
• jug
• cell
• joint
• tank
• stir
• quod
• can
• nick
• slam
• ward
• hold
• guardhouse
• bull pen
• gulag
• hole
• reformatory
• prison camp
• stalag
• labor camp
• concentration camp
• work camp
• glasshouse
• oubliette
• block
• keep
• hulk(s)
• reform school
• training school

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

• outside

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

• captivity
• internment
• imprisonment
• incarceration
• confinement
• impoundment
• bondage
• servitude
• immurement
• custody
• enslavement
• arrest
• detention
• restriction
• capture
• restraint
• house arrest
• entrapment
• detainer
• detainment

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

• release
• liberation
• redemption
• freedom
• emancipation
• liberty
• independence
• manumission

Example Sentences

Recent Examples of prison

Now 20, Taraneh Rahimi faces execution over her alleged role in the January protests, while her twin sister could spend decades in prison, in a case unfolding amid a sharp rise in Iran’s use of the death penalty. — Efrat Lachter, FOXNews.com, 15 Sep. 2026

With time already served in pretrial detention, none of those found guilty went back to prison. — ABC News, 15 Sep. 2026

If convicted, Angelito and Gonzalez could face up to life in prison. — Brittny Mejia, Los Angeles Times, 15 Sep. 2026

If he is convicted, Reiner will face a sentence of life in prison with no possibility for parole. — Fran Hoepfner, Vulture, 15 Sep. 2026