1
: a person deprived of liberty and kept under involuntary restraint, confinement, or custody
especially
: one on trial or in prison
2
: someone restrained as if in prison
a prisoner of her own conscience
see also take-no-prisoners, take no prisoners
Examples of prisoner in a Sentence
He was captured by rebel forces and kept as their prisoner for several months before they set him free.
The families were held prisoner for four days.
Recent Examples on the Web
The association filed a petition on behalf of the prisoners to the Inter-American Commission on Human Rights, an OAS group.
—
Nora Gámez Torres, Miami Herald, 4 Apr. 2024
So in 2018, Stockton changed the pre-recorded greeting for outgoing prisoner calls to family and friends.
—Nate Gartrell, The Mercury News, 2 Apr. 2024
Nationwide, video-calling rates for prisoners are much higher than regular phone calls for inmates, according to the Prison Policy Initiative, a Massachusetts nonprofit.
—Ian Shapira, Washington Post, 31 Mar. 2024
Recent public comments from President Vladimir V. Putin of Russia about a possible prisoner swap could be a reason for some optimism, said Jay Conti, general counsel at Dow Jones, the parent company of The Journal.
—Katie Robertson, New York Times, 29 Mar. 2024
Since his election, the pope has taken this ceremony out of Vatican territory and celebrated by washing the feet of prisoners, refugees and the disabled.
—Christopher Lamb, CNN, 28 Mar. 2024
Fans of Vonnegut know that Slaughterhouse-Five is not even the original title of the book, but was selected in reference to where Vonnegut and other allies were kept as prisoners in Dresden.
—Katie Wiseman, The Indianapolis Star, 27 Mar. 2024
On one mission trip in Puerto Vallarta, Mexico, Craig visited a prison and asked to talk face-to-face with one prisoner put into solitary confinement because of bloody fights with cellmates.
—Linda McIntosh, San Diego Union-Tribune, 24 Mar. 2024
Stahl also talks with longtime Kremlin critic Gary Kasparov about how Russian President Vladimir Putin is using prisoners as pawns on his geopolitical chessboard against the West.
—David Morgan, CBS News, 22 Mar. 2024
Nora Gámez Torres, Miami Herald, 4 Apr. 2024
So in 2018, Stockton changed the pre-recorded greeting for outgoing prisoner calls to family and friends.
—Nate Gartrell, The Mercury News, 2 Apr. 2024
Nationwide, video-calling rates for prisoners are much higher than regular phone calls for inmates, according to the Prison Policy Initiative, a Massachusetts nonprofit.
—Ian Shapira, Washington Post, 31 Mar. 2024
Recent public comments from President Vladimir V. Putin of Russia about a possible prisoner swap could be a reason for some optimism, said Jay Conti, general counsel at Dow Jones, the parent company of The Journal.
—Katie Robertson, New York Times, 29 Mar. 2024
Since his election, the pope has taken this ceremony out of Vatican territory and celebrated by washing the feet of prisoners, refugees and the disabled.
—Christopher Lamb, CNN, 28 Mar. 2024
Fans of Vonnegut know that Slaughterhouse-Five is not even the original title of the book, but was selected in reference to where Vonnegut and other allies were kept as prisoners in Dresden.
—Katie Wiseman, The Indianapolis Star, 27 Mar. 2024
On one mission trip in Puerto Vallarta, Mexico, Craig visited a prison and asked to talk face-to-face with one prisoner put into solitary confinement because of bloody fights with cellmates.
—Linda McIntosh, San Diego Union-Tribune, 24 Mar. 2024
Stahl also talks with longtime Kremlin critic Gary Kasparov about how Russian President Vladimir Putin is using prisoners as pawns on his geopolitical chessboard against the West.
—David Morgan, CBS News, 22 Mar. 2024
These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'prisoner.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.
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Cite this Entry
“Prisoner.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/prisoner. Accessed 19 Apr. 2024.
Copy CitationKids Definition
prisoner
noun
pris·on·er
ˈpriz-nər 
-ᵊn-ər
: a person who has been captured or locked up
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