as in captive
one that has been taken and held in confinement
the prisoners were fed only bread and water twice a day
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Recent Examples of prisoner
The court and an associated prosecutor’s office were created after a 2011 report by the Council of Europe, a human rights body, following allegations that KLA fighters trafficked human organs taken from prisoners and killed Serbs and fellow ethnic Albanians.
—
ABC News, 17 Feb. 2026
During the 1980s and 1990s, Jackson also negotiated the release of dozens of international hostages and prisoners, and became a vocal supporter of voting and LGBTQ rights.
—Annika Kim Constantino, CNBC, 17 Feb. 2026
The judge ordered the Department of Corrections to stop using solitary confinement that lasts longer than three days to punish prisoners for failing to work, and to stop stacking disciplinary infractions related to failure to work to increase the severity of possible punishments.
—Shelly Bradbury, Denver Post, 16 Feb. 2026
Stripped of their personal identifiers and identity, guards stopped seeing prisoners as people and went on to treat them without the humanity that all deserve.
—William Robiner, Twin Cities, 15 Feb. 2026
See All Example Sentences for prisoner
ABC News, 17 Feb. 2026
During the 1980s and 1990s, Jackson also negotiated the release of dozens of international hostages and prisoners, and became a vocal supporter of voting and LGBTQ rights.
—Annika Kim Constantino, CNBC, 17 Feb. 2026
The judge ordered the Department of Corrections to stop using solitary confinement that lasts longer than three days to punish prisoners for failing to work, and to stop stacking disciplinary infractions related to failure to work to increase the severity of possible punishments.
—Shelly Bradbury, Denver Post, 16 Feb. 2026
Stripped of their personal identifiers and identity, guards stopped seeing prisoners as people and went on to treat them without the humanity that all deserve.
—William Robiner, Twin Cities, 15 Feb. 2026
See All Example Sentences for prisoner
Recent Examples of Synonyms for prisoner
Noun
-
The North’s decisions about prisoner exchanges were based on military calculations, not benevolent concern for Black captives.—
Drew Gilpin Faust,
The Atlantic,
8 Feb. 2026
-
In Empire City, when a hostage crisis erupts inside New York’s landmark Clybourn Building, former Navy SEAL turned firefighter Rhett (Butler), his squad, and his NYPD wife Dani (Atwell) must fight and navigate their way through the building to rescue the captives.—
Andreas Wiseman,
Deadline,
6 Feb. 2026
Noun
-
Pratt, meanwhile, remained an international fugitive until his 2022 capture in Spain.—
Alex Riggins,
San Diego Union-Tribune,
17 Feb. 2026
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The capture and bioconversion of these point-source CO₂ streams has the potential to both cut emissions and manufacture ‘drop-in’ isoprene.—
Srishti Gupta,
Interesting Engineering,
16 Feb. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Prisoner.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/prisoner. Accessed 22 Feb. 2026.
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