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
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
show current usage.
Read More
Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors.
Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of prisons
Thompson's crime policies led to more state prisons The tough-on-crime laws Thompson signed forced the construction of a record number of prisons and led to Wisconsin having 21,000 inmates during his tenure — three times as many as neighboring, smaller Minnesota, at the time.
—
Molly Beck, jsonline.com, 3 Oct. 2025
Lawson also suggested ending the practice of full-contact visitation, which results in drugs getting into prisons.
—Vivian Jones, Nashville Tennessean, 2 Oct. 2025
But more often, people with serious mental illness wind up in prisons and jails, which have become the nation’s largest mental health care facilities.
—Nathaniel Meyersohn, CNN Money, 30 Sep. 2025
At least 85% of workers operate outside of the city (think federal prisons, courts, national parks, etc).
—ABC News, 30 Sep. 2025
In a country where disabled people are overrepresented in jails and prisons, psychiatric institutions and police encounters, this isn’t just theoretical.
—Kate Caldwell, Mercury News, 30 Sep. 2025
The News & Observer reported that the task force made recommendations on, among other things, implementing cashless bail for nonviolent misdemeanors and keeping pregnant women safe in prisons.
—Charlotte Observer, 26 Sep. 2025
On August 18, 2016, Sally Yates, Obama’s attorney general announced that the Justice Department would be looking to phase out the use of private prisons.
—Shirsho Dasgupta, Miami Herald, 26 Sep. 2025
During the deposition, the judge suggested drugs could be getting into Alabama prisons another way.
—Abigail Brooks, NBC news, 25 Sep. 2025
Molly Beck, jsonline.com, 3 Oct. 2025
Lawson also suggested ending the practice of full-contact visitation, which results in drugs getting into prisons.
—Vivian Jones, Nashville Tennessean, 2 Oct. 2025
But more often, people with serious mental illness wind up in prisons and jails, which have become the nation’s largest mental health care facilities.
—Nathaniel Meyersohn, CNN Money, 30 Sep. 2025
At least 85% of workers operate outside of the city (think federal prisons, courts, national parks, etc).
—ABC News, 30 Sep. 2025
In a country where disabled people are overrepresented in jails and prisons, psychiatric institutions and police encounters, this isn’t just theoretical.
—Kate Caldwell, Mercury News, 30 Sep. 2025
The News & Observer reported that the task force made recommendations on, among other things, implementing cashless bail for nonviolent misdemeanors and keeping pregnant women safe in prisons.
—Charlotte Observer, 26 Sep. 2025
On August 18, 2016, Sally Yates, Obama’s attorney general announced that the Justice Department would be looking to phase out the use of private prisons.
—Shirsho Dasgupta, Miami Herald, 26 Sep. 2025
During the deposition, the judge suggested drugs could be getting into Alabama prisons another way.
—Abigail Brooks, NBC news, 25 Sep. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for prisons
Noun
-
Juan Pappier, the deputy Americas director at Human Rights Watch, says that currently there are 89 foreign nationals imprisoned in Venezuelan jails, from countries that include Colombia, Spain, Argentina, France and the Czech Republic.—
Manuel Rueda,
NPR,
4 Oct. 2025
-
Israel is also set to release Palestinian prisoners from Israeli jails, as part of the truce and in return for hostages.—
Laura Kelly,
The Hill,
3 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
-
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 9 Oct. 2025.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
Share