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

The suspect in a car-ramming attack in Munich last year that left two people dead and dozens injured was convicted on Thursday of charges including murder and sentenced to life in prison. — ABC News, 6 Aug. 2026

Vehicular manslaughter with gross negligence — the most serious type of vehicular manslaughter — could be punished with up to a year in county jail or with a state prison sentence that could be as long as six years. — Ariane Lange, Sacbee.com, 6 Aug. 2026

The revelations sparked a nationwide investigation into misconduct by Girardi and others at his firm, ultimately landing Girardi in prison for nearly 7 ½ years. — Jason Meisner, Chicago Tribune, 6 Aug. 2026

Farinacci previously pleaded guilty to manslaughter and was sentenced to 12 years in prison after fatally shooting his father. — Emma Tucker, CNN Money, 6 Aug. 2026