1
as in jail
a place of confinement for persons held in lawful custody
the ongoing debate whether drug users should go to prison
Synonyms & Similar Words
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in captivity
the act of confining or the state of being confined
the view that prison does nothing to cure the criminal—if anything, it makes him worse
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of prison
Growing up in prison Like Heard, Levao grew up amid instability and violence.
—
Kelly Davis, San Diego Union-Tribune, 8 Feb. 2026
During that winter storm, about a third of Texas prisons lost power and about the same amount of facilities had low or no running water, the Texas Tribune reported.
—N'dea Yancey-Bragg, USA Today, 8 Feb. 2026
Calvin Eriksen, 47, was sentenced to 72 months in federal prison by U.S. District Judge Brett H. Ludwig on Thursday, Jan. 29, according to a press release issued by the U.S. Attorney's Office, Eastern District of Wisconsin.
—Ingrid Vasquez, PEOPLE, 31 Jan. 2026
In connection with those accusations, Alexander was sentenced in federal court in New Haven to 96 months in prison and three years of supervised release, officials said.
—Justin Muszynski, Hartford Courant, 31 Jan. 2026
See All Example Sentences for prison
Kelly Davis, San Diego Union-Tribune, 8 Feb. 2026
During that winter storm, about a third of Texas prisons lost power and about the same amount of facilities had low or no running water, the Texas Tribune reported.
—N'dea Yancey-Bragg, USA Today, 8 Feb. 2026
Calvin Eriksen, 47, was sentenced to 72 months in federal prison by U.S. District Judge Brett H. Ludwig on Thursday, Jan. 29, according to a press release issued by the U.S. Attorney's Office, Eastern District of Wisconsin.
—Ingrid Vasquez, PEOPLE, 31 Jan. 2026
In connection with those accusations, Alexander was sentenced in federal court in New Haven to 96 months in prison and three years of supervised release, officials said.
—Justin Muszynski, Hartford Courant, 31 Jan. 2026
See All Example Sentences for prison
Recent Examples of Synonyms for prison
Noun
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Key Venezuelan opposition figure Juan Pablo Guanipa was arrested by heavily armed men on Sunday night, his supporters said, just hours after he had been released from a jail where he was held as a political prisoner.—
Diego Mendoza,
CNN Money,
9 Feb. 2026
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His co-defendants received jail terms between 6¼ years and 10 years.—
Kanis Leung,
Los Angeles Times,
9 Feb. 2026
Noun
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David and Ariel Cunio, who were among the last Israeli hostages to be freed from Gaza after two years of captivity last October, will travel to Berlin next week for a screening of Tom Shoval’s A Letter To David – The Complete Version.—
Melanie Goodfellow,
Deadline,
11 Feb. 2026
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Under the terms of the Dix-Hill agreement, some 30,000 prisoners were returned from captivity by the fall, but the formal exchange arrangement was soon upended.—
Drew Gilpin Faust,
The Atlantic,
8 Feb. 2026
Noun
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Author Ta-Nehisi Coates, an 8-year-old in West Baltimore at the time of the murder, offers piercing commentary on the impact of both the initial crime and the succeeding one, the grievously unjust trial that put three kids in the penitentiary.—
Sheri Linden,
HollywoodReporter,
28 Jan. 2026
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Central Time Wednesday following a lethal injection at the state penitentiary in Huntsville.—
CBS News,
CBS News,
28 Jan. 2026
Noun
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Flags at Indiana's state facilities will remain at half-staff until sunset on the day of Hamilton's internment, according to the release.—
John Tufts,
IndyStar,
5 Feb. 2026
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Lillian Greenhut's late husband, Kurt Greenhut, was a child Holocaust survivor who endured internment in a concentration camp.—
Charlie Lapastora,
CBS News,
28 Jan. 2026
Noun
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He is charged with grand larceny, kidnapping, unauthorized use of a vehicle and unlawful imprisonment, cops said.—
Colin Mixson,
New York Daily News,
3 Feb. 2026
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Bukele brought murder rates in El Salvador to historic lows through a gargantuan imprisonment campaign and police crackdown, but faces numerous allegations of human rights violations, especially regarding his notorious Terrorism Confinement Center (CECOT).—
Djenane Villanueva,
CNN Money,
1 Feb. 2026
Noun
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During more than 21 years of incarceration on death row at Idaho’s maximum security prison south of Boise, Hall repeatedly appealed his convictions in state and federal court.—
Kevin Fixler,
Idaho Statesman,
10 Feb. 2026
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The hospital cleared him for incarceration with a Narcan prescription and instructions to return to the emergency room if symptoms worsened, the lawsuit alleged.—
Theresa Clift,
Sacbee.com,
10 Feb. 2026
Noun
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Detainers are federal requests to local law enforcement to detain individuals for up to 48 hours after they're set to be released from criminal confinement — which gives ICE time to decide whether to take them into custody to begin deportation proceedings.—
Nicole Sganga,
CBS News,
3 Feb. 2026
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As a result of the parents' confinement, the family dog also only goes outside in a limited capacity.—
Alicia Victoria Lozano,
NBC news,
31 Jan. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Prison.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/prison. Accessed 14 Feb. 2026.
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