as in captives
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 prisoners
Shailin managed to refer some families to human-rights groups that advocate for prisoners in Iran.
—
Cora Engelbrecht, New Yorker, 3 Apr. 2026
Far-right Israeli politicians celebrated the passage through parliament of a new law that allows execution by hanging, but effectively only for Palestinian prisoners.
—Kevin Collier, NBC news, 2 Apr. 2026
This atypical prison is designed to house atypical prisoners.
—Literary Hub, 2 Apr. 2026
Asking the engineers to stop designing a firing squad chamber for the state of Idaho to execute death-row prisoners.
—Sally Krutzig, Idaho Statesman, 1 Apr. 2026
Last year, DeSantis signed death warrants for 19 prisoners, the most in the state since the death penalty was reinstated in the 1970s.
—Romy Ellenbogen, Miami Herald, 31 Mar. 2026
The measure is not retroactive and won’t apply to current prisoners.
—Julia Frankel, Los Angeles Times, 31 Mar. 2026
Under California law, prisoners seeking parole may not be penalized for failing to admit wrongdoing, so Kovacich’s claim of innocence was not used against him, Tellman said.
—Sharon Bernstein, Sacbee.com, 27 Mar. 2026
The months drag on; the power cuts out; both the prisoners and the jailers seem to have been abandoned by their mysterious overlords.
—Robert Rubsam, The Atlantic, 26 Mar. 2026
Cora Engelbrecht, New Yorker, 3 Apr. 2026
Far-right Israeli politicians celebrated the passage through parliament of a new law that allows execution by hanging, but effectively only for Palestinian prisoners.
—Kevin Collier, NBC news, 2 Apr. 2026
This atypical prison is designed to house atypical prisoners.
—Literary Hub, 2 Apr. 2026
Asking the engineers to stop designing a firing squad chamber for the state of Idaho to execute death-row prisoners.
—Sally Krutzig, Idaho Statesman, 1 Apr. 2026
Last year, DeSantis signed death warrants for 19 prisoners, the most in the state since the death penalty was reinstated in the 1970s.
—Romy Ellenbogen, Miami Herald, 31 Mar. 2026
The measure is not retroactive and won’t apply to current prisoners.
—Julia Frankel, Los Angeles Times, 31 Mar. 2026
Under California law, prisoners seeking parole may not be penalized for failing to admit wrongdoing, so Kovacich’s claim of innocence was not used against him, Tellman said.
—Sharon Bernstein, Sacbee.com, 27 Mar. 2026
The months drag on; the power cuts out; both the prisoners and the jailers seem to have been abandoned by their mysterious overlords.
—Robert Rubsam, The Atlantic, 26 Mar. 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for prisoners
captives
Noun
-
As for the three other captives, Caldwell says at least two remain deeply scarred to this day.—
Namir Khaliq,
Big Think,
31 Mar. 2026
-
Alejandra, a Spanish-language radio DJ who had for years posted community events, news, and real-time weather alerts on her Facebook page, Explosion Latina NOLA, was now helping relatives of ICE’s captives navigate its detainee database.—
Daniel Brook,
Harpers Magazine,
24 Mar. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Prisoners.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/prisoners. Accessed 7 Apr. 2026.
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