prisoner

noun

pris·​on·​er ˈpriz-nər 

ˈpri-zᵊn-ər

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

Synonyms of prisoner

• captive
• capture

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

His charges now include felony possession of a weapon by a prisoner, misdemeanor flight escape and misdemeanor Injury to real property, the sheriff’s office said. —Mark Price, Charlotte Observer, 24 Mar. 2026

They were freed in a prisoner swap in July 2025. —Camilo Montoya-Galvez, CBS News, 24 Mar. 2026

So as former president Joe Biden was leaving office, his administration did a deal with Cuba that called for the release of more than 500 prisoners there, political prisoners. —Dana Taylor, USA Today, 24 Mar. 2026

In 2016, voters approved a landmark ballot initiative reducing penalties for certain low-level drug and property crimes; three years later, lawmakers made those changes retroactive, leading to one of the largest single-day prisoner releases in American history. —Pamela Colloff, ProPublica, 24 Mar. 2026

Word History

First Known Use

14th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Phrases Containing prisoner

• co-prisoner
• political prisoner
• prisoner of conscience
• prisoner of war
• prisoner's base
• take (someone) prisoner

Kids Definition

prisoner

noun

pris·​on·​er ˈpriz-nər 

-ᵊn-ər

: a person who has been captured or locked up

Legal Definition

prisoner

noun

pris·​on·​er

: a person deprived of liberty and kept under involuntary restraint, confinement, or custody

especially : one under arrest, awaiting trial, on trial, or serving a prison sentence