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
Negotiations earlier this month centered on a six-week cease-fire proposal and the release of 40 civilian and sick hostages held by Hamas in exchange for freeing hundreds of Palestinian prisoners in Israeli jails.
—
Tia Goldenberg, arkansasonline.com, 29 Apr. 2024
The film will center on American psychiatrist Douglas Kelley (Malek), who is tasked with determining whether Nazi prisoners are fit to stand trial for their war crimes, and finds himself in a complex battle of wits with Hermann Göring (Crowe), Hitler’s right-hand man.
—Selena Kuznikov, Variety, 29 Apr. 2024
Midazolam, a common pre-surgery drug known by the brand name Versed, is also part of a three-drug cocktail used in some states to execute prisoners.
—Ryan J. Foley, Fortune, 29 Apr. 2024
Editors’ Picks Military judges have generally stayed away from the detainee operation, which currently holds 30 prisoners.
—Carol Rosenberg, New York Times, 26 Apr. 2024
After being deported to the deadly concentration camp Auschwitz, he’s forced to tattoo identification numbers on incoming prisoners’ arms.
—Hannah Dailey, Billboard, 25 Apr. 2024
On Thursday, Nguyen said her sister was sent by bus from Dublin to Nevada, then flew with about 60 other prisoners to Georgia, then traveled by bus with about half of them another 12 hours to Miami.
—Julia Prodis Sulek, The Mercury News, 23 Apr. 2024
McCray later took a job as a clinical psychologist working with prisoners at an Indiana women’s prison.
—Brittany Carloni, The Indianapolis Star, 18 Apr. 2024
In March, Cameron Williams, 24, died of a rare stroke and fellow prisoners have accused prison workers of ignoring his pleas for help before his death.
—Journal Sentinel, 18 Apr. 2024
Tia Goldenberg, arkansasonline.com, 29 Apr. 2024
The film will center on American psychiatrist Douglas Kelley (Malek), who is tasked with determining whether Nazi prisoners are fit to stand trial for their war crimes, and finds himself in a complex battle of wits with Hermann Göring (Crowe), Hitler’s right-hand man.
—Selena Kuznikov, Variety, 29 Apr. 2024
Midazolam, a common pre-surgery drug known by the brand name Versed, is also part of a three-drug cocktail used in some states to execute prisoners.
—Ryan J. Foley, Fortune, 29 Apr. 2024
Editors’ Picks Military judges have generally stayed away from the detainee operation, which currently holds 30 prisoners.
—Carol Rosenberg, New York Times, 26 Apr. 2024
After being deported to the deadly concentration camp Auschwitz, he’s forced to tattoo identification numbers on incoming prisoners’ arms.
—Hannah Dailey, Billboard, 25 Apr. 2024
On Thursday, Nguyen said her sister was sent by bus from Dublin to Nevada, then flew with about 60 other prisoners to Georgia, then traveled by bus with about half of them another 12 hours to Miami.
—Julia Prodis Sulek, The Mercury News, 23 Apr. 2024
McCray later took a job as a clinical psychologist working with prisoners at an Indiana women’s prison.
—Brittany Carloni, The Indianapolis Star, 18 Apr. 2024
In March, Cameron Williams, 24, died of a rare stroke and fellow prisoners have accused prison workers of ignoring his pleas for help before his death.
—Journal Sentinel, 18 Apr. 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 2 May. 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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