PRISONERS Synonyms: 24 Similar and Opposite Words

prisoners

noun

plural of prisoner

as in captives

one that has been taken and held in confinement the prisoners were fed only bread and water twice a day

Synonyms & Similar Words

Relevance

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 prisoners Or building a detention center for federal prisoners in the middle of the Everglades? — Orlando Sentinel Editorial Board, The Orlando Sentinel, 23 Aug. 2026 The 2015 action film, set in a post-apocalyptic desert wasteland, stars Theron as warrior Imperator Furiosa, who leads the daring escape of female prisoners from a tyrannical ruler. — Kirsten Chuba, HollywoodReporter, 23 Aug. 2026 Executions are carried out in secrecy in Japan, where prisoners are not informed of their fate until the morning of their hanging. — CBS News, 21 Aug. 2026 Wars come and go, Napoleon rises and falls and these two men remain prisoners of a beef neither seems capable of escaping. — Los Angeles Times, 20 Aug. 2026 The government maintains that under existing rules, prisoners are provided medical treatment in jail and can be transferred to government hospitals when necessary. — ABC News, 20 Aug. 2026 The government insists that prisoners are provided with proper medical care and sent to hospital if required. — Sophia Saifi, CNN Money, 20 Aug. 2026 The pair quickly started shoving each other, both of them getting in a couple punches, before security stopped the fight and separated the prisoners. — Jessica Schladebeck, New York Daily News, 13 Aug. 2026 If Tennessee and Alabama proceed Thursday, six states will have put prisoners to death in 2026. — Greg Wehner, FOXNews.com, 13 Aug. 2026

Recent Examples of Synonyms for prisoners

captives

Noun

Local authorities did not say how the captives were rescued from the dense, expansive forest of the Kainji Lake National Park.

— ABC News, ABC News, 8 Aug. 2026
Mary Ishaya, 44, told the outlet that the captives often went days without food and had to bury other captives who had died.

— Robert McGreevy, FOXNews.com, 8 Aug. 2026

Definition of captives

Browse Nearby Words

prisoner

prisoners

prisons

See all Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

Style

“Prisoners.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/prisoners. Accessed 25 Aug. 2026.

Copy Citation

Synonyms of prisoners

noun

Example Sentences

Browse Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

More from Merriam-Webster

Word of the Day

tilde

Popular in Grammar & Usage

A Who’s Who Regarding ‘Who’s’ and ‘Whose’

How to Pronounce the Trickiest Menu Items

Is that lie 'bald-faced' or 'bold-faced'?

'A' or 'an'? What about before 'h'? An Indefinite Article Guide

Why is '-ed' sometimes pronounced at the end of a word?

Popular in Wordplay

Words from the 'Odyssey'

The Longest Long Words List

Even More Words That Sound Like Insults But Aren't

The Words of the Week - Aug. 21

16 Glee-ridden Words from Schitt's Creek

Popular

A Who’s Who Regarding ‘Who’s’ and ‘Whose’

Words from the 'Odyssey'

The Longest Long Words List

Games & Quizzes