1
as in jails
a place of confinement for persons held in lawful custody
the ongoing debate whether drug users should go to prison
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
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
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of prisons
Legend has it that the chili in Texas prisons and jails was once so good, people asked for the recipe as a souvenir of their stay.
—
Jasmine Smith, Southern Living, 30 Oct. 2025
His surprising case for segregation is that prisons are self-segregating, and white people still have power in the yard.
—Amanda Whiting, Vulture, 29 Oct. 2025
Governors should be encouraged to use their powers more regularly, particularly in states with overcrowded prisons or outdated sentencing laws.
—Khalil Cumberbatch, MSNBC Newsweek, 29 Oct. 2025
And in the chaotic months since, clues about Tice’s fate have begun to seep through the walls of Syria’s once-impenetrable prisons and palaces.
—Rob Picheta, CNN Money, 28 Oct. 2025
The State Building Commission will take up the first steps toward overhauling the state's prisons this week.
—Hope Karnopp, jsonline.com, 27 Oct. 2025
Projects engage critical questions of ecology, migration, identity, religion, and architecture, and excavate both metaphorical and literal prisons.
—Photovogue, Vogue, 25 Oct. 2025
Barghouti’s family alleges that he has been beaten by guards in Israel's prisons, which are under the control of Itamar Ben-Gvir, a far-right member of Netanyahu's coalition.
—Karl Vick, Time, 23 Oct. 2025
For those people who The Observer confirmed were arrested in North Carolina during both periods, more than half were arrested straight from county jails and state or federal prisons.
—Caitlin McGlade, Charlotte Observer, 23 Oct. 2025
Jasmine Smith, Southern Living, 30 Oct. 2025
His surprising case for segregation is that prisons are self-segregating, and white people still have power in the yard.
—Amanda Whiting, Vulture, 29 Oct. 2025
Governors should be encouraged to use their powers more regularly, particularly in states with overcrowded prisons or outdated sentencing laws.
—Khalil Cumberbatch, MSNBC Newsweek, 29 Oct. 2025
And in the chaotic months since, clues about Tice’s fate have begun to seep through the walls of Syria’s once-impenetrable prisons and palaces.
—Rob Picheta, CNN Money, 28 Oct. 2025
The State Building Commission will take up the first steps toward overhauling the state's prisons this week.
—Hope Karnopp, jsonline.com, 27 Oct. 2025
Projects engage critical questions of ecology, migration, identity, religion, and architecture, and excavate both metaphorical and literal prisons.
—Photovogue, Vogue, 25 Oct. 2025
Barghouti’s family alleges that he has been beaten by guards in Israel's prisons, which are under the control of Itamar Ben-Gvir, a far-right member of Netanyahu's coalition.
—Karl Vick, Time, 23 Oct. 2025
For those people who The Observer confirmed were arrested in North Carolina during both periods, more than half were arrested straight from county jails and state or federal prisons.
—Caitlin McGlade, Charlotte Observer, 23 Oct. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for prisons
Noun
-
Legend has it that the chili in Texas prisons and jails was once so good, people asked for the recipe as a souvenir of their stay.—
Jasmine Smith,
Southern Living,
30 Oct. 2025
-
The top consumers of countywide property taxes are the county’s jails, the Jackson Health hospital system, the Sheriff’s Office and the county’s transit system.—
Douglas Hanks,
Miami Herald,
30 Oct. 2025
Noun
-
After his conviction, Gray was sent to Angola, one of the most violent penitentiaries in the country at the time.—
Richard A. Webster,
ProPublica,
25 Aug. 2025
Noun
-
The incarcerations have been part of Bukele’s controversial efforts to stem the high crime rates and gang violence that have plagued the country for years.—
Michael Rios,
CNN,
17 Mar. 2025
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The Body Politic uplifts Baltimore’s relative success in decreasing the city’s homicide and violent crime rate while not increasing incarcerations or the rate of citizen-police interactions.—
Richard Fowler,
Forbes,
3 Dec. 2024
Cite this Entry
“Prisons.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/prisons. Accessed 5 Nov. 2025.
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