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:
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
Moriarty is hiding both Sherlock and Lady Tewkesbury in a cell, and both of the prisoners are trying to figure out why she's chosen them.
—
Caroline Blair,
PEOPLE,
2 July 2026
The Venezuelan nationals were ultimately released to their home country from CECOT in a prisoner swap last July.
—
Luke Barr,
ABC News,
1 July 2026
Moments after that prisoner, Pedro Medina, received the first jolt of electricity, his head caught fire and flames leaped into the air.
—
Pamela Colloff,
ProPublica,
30 June 2026
Bates held one of the Germans prisoner after the incident; the latter was released only after negotiations with a West German diplomat, a sequence of events that Bates considered further validation of Sealand’s sovereignty.
—
Encyclopedia Britannica,
30 June 2026
See All Example Sentences for prisoner
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.
Caroline Blair,
PEOPLE,
2 July 2026
The Venezuelan nationals were ultimately released to their home country from CECOT in a prisoner swap last July.
—
Luke Barr,
ABC News,
1 July 2026
Moments after that prisoner, Pedro Medina, received the first jolt of electricity, his head caught fire and flames leaped into the air.
—
Pamela Colloff,
ProPublica,
30 June 2026
Bates held one of the Germans prisoner after the incident; the latter was released only after negotiations with a West German diplomat, a sequence of events that Bates considered further validation of Sealand’s sovereignty.
—
Encyclopedia Britannica,
30 June 2026
See All Example Sentences for prisoner
Cite this Entry
“Prisoner.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/prisoner. Accessed 6 Jul. 2026.
Copy CitationKids Definition
prisoner
noun
pris·on·er
ˈpriz-nər 
-ᵊn-ər
: a person who has been captured or locked up
Love words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
