Synonyms of prisons

prisons

noun

plural of prison

1

as in jails

a place of confinement for persons held in lawful custody

the ongoing debate whether drug users should go to prison

Synonyms & Similar Words

• jails
• penitentiaries
• brigs
• stockades
• lockups
• pens
• coops
• coolers
• cages
• big houses
• jugs
• dungeons
• guardrooms
• hocks
• tanks
• bastilles
• joints
• cans
• cells
• jailhouses
• nicks
• clinks
• quods
• pokeys
• slammers
• tolbooths
• bridewells
• stirs
• hoosegows
• calabooses
• wards
• slams
• holes
• hulks
• gulags
• reformatories
• holds
• guardhouses
• bull pens
• prison camps
• concentration camps
• labor camps
• glasshouses
• work camps
• keeps
• blocks
• reform schools
• oubliettes
• training schools
• stalags

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

• outsides

2

as in captivities

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

• captivities
• internments
• incarcerations
• imprisonments
• confinements
• impoundments
• restraints
• enslavements
• bondages
• servitudes
• restrictions
• immurements
• custodies
• arrests
• captures
• house arrests
• detentions
• entrapments
• detainments
• detainers

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

• releases
• liberations
• redemptions
• liberties
• freedoms
• manumissions
• emancipations
• independences

Example Sentences

Recent Examples of prisons

Politicians and candidates want to build prisons there (as if this were a solution). — Cristina Dorador, The Dial, 14 July 2026

Widdecombe was in the House of Commons from 1987 to 2010, serving in roles including prisons minister in Prime Minister John Major’s 1990s Conservative government. — ABC News, 14 July 2026

In 2023, fewer than 2% of grievances filed in federal prisons were approved, with most rejected for procedural errors or closed for other reasons. — Brittney Melton, NPR, 13 July 2026

Widdecombe was a lawmaker in the House of Commons from 1987 to 2010, serving in roles including prisons minister in Prime Minister John Major’s 1990s Conservative government. — Brian Melley, Los Angeles Times, 13 July 2026

Locations of arrests in the state are dependent on several factors such as percentage of immigrant population, enforcement personnel in the area and proximity to detention facilities and prisons. — Mathew Miranda july 9, Sacbee.com, 10 July 2026

This 100-Year-Old Prison Is Now A Luxury Hotel The newest luxury property in Nara, Japan joins a growing number of former prisons that have been converted into design and boutique hotels. — Forbes.com, 10 July 2026

The program was established by state lawmakers in 2018 as a way to help stem the tide of mental illness in jails and prisons, usually by dismissing cases and offering treatment for the underlying conditions behind a defendant’s arrest. — Jakob Rodgers, Mercury News, 6 July 2026

Turkey's prisons held more than 420,000 inmates — far exceeding their official capacity of roughly 304,000, according to a June 2026 report citing Turkish Justice Ministry figures. — Efrat Lachter, FOXNews.com, 6 July 2026