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
Relevance
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
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of prisons
Should the handover of violent criminals who happen to be in the country without permission happen strictly in the state prisons?
—
The Editorial Board, Chicago Tribune, 6 Feb. 2026
Closing prisons and letting criminals back on the street?
—Eduardo Cuevas, USA Today, 5 Feb. 2026
As a result of the initial offensive and the ongoing operations, thousands of ISIS suspects were detained in prisons and detention centers guarded by the SDF and coalition troops in northeast Syria.
—Omar Abdulkader, CBS News, 5 Feb. 2026
Minnesota officials say its state prisons and nearly all of the county sheriffs already cooperate with immigration authorities.
—Steve Karnowski, Los Angeles Times, 4 Feb. 2026
Desmond was the second person to die within a week inside Connecticut prisons.
—Joseph Wilkinson, New York Daily News, 4 Feb. 2026
During the Covid-19 pandemic, detention facilities, jails, and prisons repeatedly functioned as accelerators of transmission, fueling outbreaks that spread to staff, families, and surrounding communities.
—Krutika Kuppalli, STAT, 4 Feb. 2026
Lebanese Information Minister Paul Morcos said other issues remain to be resolved between the two countries, including the fate of Lebanese believed to have been disappeared into Syrian prisons during Assad's rule and the demarcation of the border between the two countries.
—Arkansas Online, 31 Jan. 2026
Under Evers' plan to overhaul the state's system of prisons, the youth prison will be converted into a facility housing adult inmates.
—Molly Beck, jsonline.com, 29 Jan. 2026
The Editorial Board, Chicago Tribune, 6 Feb. 2026
Closing prisons and letting criminals back on the street?
—Eduardo Cuevas, USA Today, 5 Feb. 2026
As a result of the initial offensive and the ongoing operations, thousands of ISIS suspects were detained in prisons and detention centers guarded by the SDF and coalition troops in northeast Syria.
—Omar Abdulkader, CBS News, 5 Feb. 2026
Minnesota officials say its state prisons and nearly all of the county sheriffs already cooperate with immigration authorities.
—Steve Karnowski, Los Angeles Times, 4 Feb. 2026
Desmond was the second person to die within a week inside Connecticut prisons.
—Joseph Wilkinson, New York Daily News, 4 Feb. 2026
During the Covid-19 pandemic, detention facilities, jails, and prisons repeatedly functioned as accelerators of transmission, fueling outbreaks that spread to staff, families, and surrounding communities.
—Krutika Kuppalli, STAT, 4 Feb. 2026
Lebanese Information Minister Paul Morcos said other issues remain to be resolved between the two countries, including the fate of Lebanese believed to have been disappeared into Syrian prisons during Assad's rule and the demarcation of the border between the two countries.
—Arkansas Online, 31 Jan. 2026
Under Evers' plan to overhaul the state's system of prisons, the youth prison will be converted into a facility housing adult inmates.
—Molly Beck, jsonline.com, 29 Jan. 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for prisons
Noun
-
If that debate is opened, there will be tough decisions to make in terms of what sorts of crimes qualify for cooperation with the feds from those running our state and local prisons and jails.—
The Editorial Board,
Chicago Tribune,
6 Feb. 2026
-
Some go out of state, and the rest go to a handful of Minnesota county jails that have agreements with the federal authorities.—
Jennifer Mayerle,
CBS News,
6 Feb. 2026
Noun
-
The wave of prison violence is happening despite the deployment of military and police forces in several penitentiaries.—
Michael Rios,
CNN Money,
8 Dec. 2025
-
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
-
Despite their felony convictions and impending incarcerations, both former Met police career criminals continue to collect their monthly kisses in the mail — $8,850 a month for Cederquist and $6,020 for Butner.—
Howie Carr,
Boston Herald,
4 Jan. 2026
-
Baltimore leaders say that 87% of young men enrolled in Roca Baltimore for 24 months have no new incarcerations, while those who stay in the program for three years are 19% less likely to return to a life of crime than other similarly aged men in Maryland.—
Adam Thompson,
CBS News,
4 Dec. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Prisons.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/prisons. Accessed 11 Feb. 2026.
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