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

Florida license plates have been manufactured at a state prison in North Florida for nearly 100 years before being distributed through county agencies, CBS News Miami reported. — Anthony Thompson, USA Today, 16 July 2026

On Thursday, Teegarden was sentenced to 188 months in federal prison without parole, Jamioles said. — Caroline Zimmerman, Kansas City Star, 16 July 2026

Follieri, a real estate investor, was convicted of fraud and sent to prison. — Katie Schultz, Architectural Digest, 16 July 2026

In Prague, explore the city’s medieval history by touring its underground prisons, ancient cisterns and vaulted alleyways from the 13th century, which were built before flooding forced the city to be raised about 5 to 25 feet. — The New York Times News Service Syndicate, San Diego Union-Tribune, 16 July 2026