: any of a group occupying a single place of residence
especially
: a person confined (as in a prison or hospital)
Examples of inmate in a Sentence
Recent Examples on the Web
These sweeping pardons included commuting the death sentences of 37 federal inmates.
—
Jenny Goldsberry, The Washington Examiner, 1 Jan. 2026
Hildebrandt is serving out her sentence at the Utah State Correctional Facility, Dell, where the women's general population lives, per inmate records.
—Caroline Blair, PEOPLE, 31 Dec. 2025
Sauls was held in the Pulaski County jail on Wednesday morning, an online inmate roster showed.
—Grant Lancaster, Arkansas Online, 31 Dec. 2025
Florida executed 19 death row inmates in 2025.
—Miami Herald Archives, Miami Herald, 31 Dec. 2025
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Jenny Goldsberry, The Washington Examiner, 1 Jan. 2026
Hildebrandt is serving out her sentence at the Utah State Correctional Facility, Dell, where the women's general population lives, per inmate records.
—Caroline Blair, PEOPLE, 31 Dec. 2025
Sauls was held in the Pulaski County jail on Wednesday morning, an online inmate roster showed.
—Grant Lancaster, Arkansas Online, 31 Dec. 2025
Florida executed 19 death row inmates in 2025.
—Miami Herald Archives, Miami Herald, 31 Dec. 2025
See All Example Sentences for inmate
Cite this Entry
“Inmate.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/inmate. Accessed 3 Jan. 2026.
Copy CitationKids Definition
inmate
noun
in·mate
ˈin-ˌmāt 
: a member of a group living in a single residence
especially
: a person kept in an institution (as a hospital or prison)
Medical Definition
inmate
noun
in·mate
ˈin-ˌmāt
: one of a group occupying a single place of residence
especially
: a person confined (as in a psychiatric hospital) especially for a long time
Legal Definition
inmate
noun
in·mate
ˈin-ˌmāt
: a person confined in an institution (as a prison or hospital)
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