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
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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
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of prisons
While proponents of wearable technology in prisons and jails have described it as potentially lifesaving, privacy rights groups and even law enforcement officials say the devices can raise ethical and legal concerns and urge agencies to establish strict rules on data use, retention and consent.
—
Kelly Davis, San Diego Union-Tribune, 8 Nov. 2025
Advertisement The prisons in Burma are notoriously horrific and where at least two political prisoners die each month, according to rights groups.
—Kim Aris, Time, 7 Nov. 2025
In fact, nearly half of all homicides in Indiana prisons since 2019 happened at Miami Correctional, a review of police announcements and media reports found.
—Kayla Dwyer, IndyStar, 7 Nov. 2025
Statewide, 63 staffers have come down with the virus, many of them in state prisons run by private contractors.
—Miami Herald, 7 Nov. 2025
But there are still heroes in Belarusian prisons.
—Georg Szalai, HollywoodReporter, 7 Nov. 2025
Though Pennsylvania did not allow its prisons to contract out incarcerated people’s labor, as in the South, its prisoners were still forced into hard labor without pay.
—Equal Justice Initiative, USA Today, 6 Nov. 2025
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
After receiving his commutation, Santos expressed remorse for defrauding people and vowed to make improving the nation’s prisons his life’s work.
—Khalil Cumberbatch, MSNBC Newsweek, 29 Oct. 2025
Kelly Davis, San Diego Union-Tribune, 8 Nov. 2025
Advertisement The prisons in Burma are notoriously horrific and where at least two political prisoners die each month, according to rights groups.
—Kim Aris, Time, 7 Nov. 2025
In fact, nearly half of all homicides in Indiana prisons since 2019 happened at Miami Correctional, a review of police announcements and media reports found.
—Kayla Dwyer, IndyStar, 7 Nov. 2025
Statewide, 63 staffers have come down with the virus, many of them in state prisons run by private contractors.
—Miami Herald, 7 Nov. 2025
But there are still heroes in Belarusian prisons.
—Georg Szalai, HollywoodReporter, 7 Nov. 2025
Though Pennsylvania did not allow its prisons to contract out incarcerated people’s labor, as in the South, its prisoners were still forced into hard labor without pay.
—Equal Justice Initiative, USA Today, 6 Nov. 2025
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
After receiving his commutation, Santos expressed remorse for defrauding people and vowed to make improving the nation’s prisons his life’s work.
—Khalil Cumberbatch, MSNBC Newsweek, 29 Oct. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for prisons
Noun
-
While proponents of wearable technology in prisons and jails have described it as potentially lifesaving, privacy rights groups and even law enforcement officials say the devices can raise ethical and legal concerns and urge agencies to establish strict rules on data use, retention and consent.—
Kelly Davis,
San Diego Union-Tribune,
8 Nov. 2025
-
Roughly 80% of people in those jails have not been convicted of a crime.—
Equal Justice Initiative,
USA Today,
6 Nov. 2025
Noun
-
Despite these measures, investigators acknowledge that Brazil’s penitentiaries remain the backbone of command and communication for its largest criminal organizations — a paradox that the state struggles to contain.—
Alessandra Freitas,
CNN Money,
9 Nov. 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
-
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 25 Nov. 2025.
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