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
The leader of a Connecticut drug trafficking organization was sentenced to more than 15 years in federal prison for distributing large quantities of fentanyl, heroin and cocaine in and around Norwalk.
—
Staff Report, Hartford Courant, 16 May 2026
The trailer begins with news coverage of him being sentenced in October to two years in prison.
—Lisa Gutierrez, Kansas City Star, 16 May 2026
Littlejohn was sentenced to five years in prison.
—Zoe Tillman, Fortune, 16 May 2026
They were both sentenced to life in prison without parole.
—Christopher Rudolph, PEOPLE, 16 May 2026
See All Example Sentences for prison
Staff Report, Hartford Courant, 16 May 2026
The trailer begins with news coverage of him being sentenced in October to two years in prison.
—Lisa Gutierrez, Kansas City Star, 16 May 2026
Littlejohn was sentenced to five years in prison.
—Zoe Tillman, Fortune, 16 May 2026
They were both sentenced to life in prison without parole.
—Christopher Rudolph, PEOPLE, 16 May 2026
See All Example Sentences for prison
Recent Examples of Synonyms for prison
Noun
-
Cities spend millions cycling people through jails for sleeping outside while affordable housing waitlists continue to grow.—
Shianne LeClaire,
Hartford Courant,
17 May 2026
-
He is being held in the county jail on a $15,000 cash bond.—
Escher Walcott,
PEOPLE,
17 May 2026
Noun
-
There was only one name on the list from Washington County, a young man who had been killed while in captivity.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
14 May 2026
-
In captivity, the big cats can live 15 to 20 years.—
Gloria Casas,
Chicago Tribune,
14 May 2026
Noun
-
In the early 1970s, the penitentiary remained poorly funded, and prison officials hoped to make money on the rodeo.—
Arkansas Online,
Arkansas Online,
9 May 2026
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Al Capone was transferred by train to a federal penitentiary in Atlanta.—
Kori Rumore,
Chicago Tribune,
4 May 2026
Noun
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Among the most painful letters are those between Scheidt’s father and his brother, who would also spend time in internment camps.—
Andrew Silow-Carroll,
Sun Sentinel,
28 Apr. 2026
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The few works in the show depicting Stojka’s experiences before and after internment capture the particularity of Romani life.—
Ben Davis,
The New York Review of Books,
25 Apr. 2026
Noun
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This personal and profound odyssey follows basketball star Brittney Griner from her playing career and harrowing imprisonment in Russia through the extraordinary geopolitical battle to secure her freedom.—
Kate Erbland,
IndieWire,
14 May 2026
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The Chinese natives are currently incarcerated at the Ventura County Main Jail and the Todd Road Jail, respectively, and face up to four years’ imprisonment followed by two years of probation.—
Andrew J. Campa,
Los Angeles Times,
13 May 2026
Noun
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The Alternative Programs offers no-cash-bail alternatives to incarceration for youth and adult non-violent offenders in South Florida.—
Najahe Sherman,
CBS News,
12 May 2026
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Such families are common in Appalachia, where poverty and incarceration rates are high, and the effects of the opioid crisis linger across successive generations.—
Casey Cep,
New Yorker,
9 May 2026
Noun
-
She likely won’t be sentenced until fall (possibly close to the general election) but will — again, just a likely here — at best face home confinement and at worst more than three years in prison.—
Los Angeles Times,
Los Angeles Times,
15 May 2026
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Taylor also mentioned harsh conditions during Chkhikvishvili's nearly yearlong confinement in Moldova, where he was arrested in 2024 on an international warrant, according to his letter to the judge.—
ABC News,
ABC News,
14 May 2026
Cite this Entry
“Prison.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/prison. Accessed 19 May. 2026.
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