prisoner

noun

pris·​on·​er ˈpriz-nər How to pronounce prisoner (audio)
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

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 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 One of the toughest sticking points may be the Hamas demands that after the initial exchange of hostages and prisoners, Israel agrees to a permanent ceasefire and a withdrawal of the Israeli military from Gaza. Alexandra Banner, CNN, 21 Mar. 2024 The tensions over Rafah come as new cease-fire talks are underway in Qatar, with hopes that mediators can get Israel and Hamas to agree to a deal that includes a pause in fighting for the release of some hostages and Palestinian prisoners. Hazem Balousha, Washington Post, 19 Mar. 2024 In a post-election news conference, Putin surprisingly acknowledged being presented an offer of a prisoner swap that would've freed Navalny. Taylor Wilson, USA TODAY, 18 Mar. 2024 In Al-Hol, several prisoners volunteered to gather children and prepare a tent. Anand Gopal, The New Yorker, 11 Mar. 2024 Yet just last month, the prisons bureau narrowly avoided being held in contempt of court after an inmate who testified at the hearing was transferred to Southern California, in violation of the judge’s orders — prompting accusations of prisoner retaliation. Nate Gartrell, The Mercury News, 11 Mar. 2024 The circumstances that led to halting the execution of Idaho's longest-serving death row prisoner are rare, but not unprecedented, according to data from the nonprofit Death Penalty Information Center. Kevin Fixler Idaho Statesman (tns), arkansasonline.com, 10 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.

Word History

First Known Use

14th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Time Traveler
The first known use of prisoner was in the 14th century

Dictionary Entries Near prisoner

Cite this Entry

“Prisoner.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/prisoner. Accessed 28 Mar. 2024.

Kids Definition

prisoner

noun
pris·​on·​er ˈpriz-nər How to pronounce prisoner (audio)
-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

More from Merriam-Webster on prisoner

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