prison

noun

ˈpri-zᵊn How to pronounce prison (audio)
Definition of prisonnext
1
as in jail
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 captivity
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 prison The two remaining counts in the case — interstate stalking resulting in death and stalking through use of interstate facilities resulting in death — each carry a possible maximum sentence of life in prison. — Dan Mangan, CNBC, 13 Aug. 2026 The 19-year NYPD veteran was also convicted of misdemeanor assault and now faces up to seven years in state prison when he is sentenced. — Rocco Parascandola, New York Daily News, 13 Aug. 2026 Penalties for those offenses range from two years to life in prison without parole. — Mateo Rosiles, USA Today, 13 Aug. 2026 An Independence man will serve around 10 years in prison for his role in a 2020 shooting in Leavenworth County. — Caroline Zimmerman, Kansas City Star, 13 Aug. 2026 See All Example Sentences for prison
Recent Examples of Synonyms for prison
  1. jail
  2. captivity
  3. penitentiary
  4. internment
  5. imprisonment
  6. incarceration
  7. confinement
Noun
  • Children taken into state care because the parents are sitting in jail unconvicted.
    — Kaitlin McCallum, Hartford Courant, 14 Aug. 2026
  • The ex-wife of Detroit rapper Eminem was sent to jail on Thursday after there were multiple bond violations, according to the Macomb County Prosecutor's Office.
    — DeJanay Booth-Singleton, CBS News, 14 Aug. 2026
Definition of jail
Noun
  • But Helaena puts an end to it all with a fatal leap from captivity.
    — Bryan Alexander, USA Today, 10 Aug. 2026
  • Nigerian forces rescued at least 308 victims from captivity in the past week, with the bulk of the victims coming from two distinct groups.
    — Robert McGreevy, FOXNews.com, 8 Aug. 2026
Definition of captivity
Noun
  • Carlos Cuesta-Rodriguez, 70, is set to die by lethal injection at the state’s penitentiary in rural McAlester.
    — ABC News, ABC News, 13 Aug. 2026
  • One of her clients has gone MIA from the state penitentiary – but how can a man go missing in prison?
    — Denise Petski, Deadline, 12 Aug. 2026
Definition of penitentiary
Noun
  • While the boys were raised in Hiroshima, their parents and new baby brother were sent to an internment camp in Poston, Arizona, as the fighting continued.
    — Rina Nakano, CBS News, 7 Aug. 2026
  • Established in 1855 as a military post to fight against the Mescalero Apache, the fort went on to play a minor role in the Civil War and later served as a tuberculosis sanitorium and a World War II internment camp.
    — Allison Savage Bates, Denver Post, 19 July 2026
Definition of internment
Noun
  • Anyone possessing marijuana for personal use can be jailed for a month, while distribution and sales are punishable by up to 10 years’ imprisonment depending on the amount seized.
    — ABC News, ABC News, 5 Aug. 2026
  • Authorities say the man was charged with one count of assaulting the crew of an aircraft, which carries a maximum sentence of 10 years in prison; as well as one count of common assault, which carries a maximum sentence of two years imprisonment.
    — Colson Thayer, PEOPLE, 5 Aug. 2026
Definition of imprisonment
Noun
  • The poll, commissioned by the Vera Institute of Justice, a nonprofit working to end mass incarceration, was conducted shortly after ICE agents shot and killed two immigrants during traffic stops in Maine and Texas over the span of six days in July.
    — Christopher Cann, USA Today, 9 Aug. 2026
  • However, just before an August 2025 hearing, the filing states, the families learned Butler would not agree to plead guilty or to incarceration at a juvenile facility after all.
    — Minyvonne Burke, NBC news, 7 Aug. 2026
Definition of incarceration
Noun
  • One of China’s most powerful AI models has joined the rush to escape confinement.
    — Tom Chivers, semafor.com, 7 Aug. 2026
  • Shah was sentenced in 2024 to 7½ years in prison, and Agarwal was sentenced to three years of confinement at a halfway house.
    — Lisa Schencker, Chicago Tribune, 7 Aug. 2026
Definition of confinement

Browse Nearby Words

prismatic
prison
prison camp
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Cite this Entry

“Prison.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/prison. Accessed 14 Aug. 2026.

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More from Merriam-Webster on prison

Nglish: Translation of prison for Spanish Speakers

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