1
as in jails
a place of confinement for persons held in lawful custody
the ongoing debate whether drug users should go to prison
Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in captivities
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
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.
Recent Examples of prisons
Five men, all with histories of being in and out of state and federal prisons, would be implicated in the gold caper and hit with other charges in the 2010s.
—
Jay Weaver
may 14, Miami Herald, 14 May 2026
Speculation about the property’s future has lingered since the federal prisons bureau announced FCI Dublin’s closure in 2024, amid a torrent of lawsuits by past and current inmates claiming years of systemic abuse at the hands of the prison’s staff.
—Jakob Rodgers, Mercury News, 14 May 2026
And they were sentenced to nine years and five years in prisons, respectively.
—Dana Taylor, USA Today, 14 May 2026
Prosecutors also displayed the internet search history from Richins’ phone, which included queries about the lethal dose of fentanyl, luxury prisons and how poisoning is marked on a death certificate.
—Hannah Schoenbaum, Chicago Tribune, 13 May 2026
Those included queries about the lethal dose of fentanyl, luxury prisons and how poisoning is marked on a death certificate.
—Hannah Schoenbaum, Los Angeles Times, 13 May 2026
The real crisis in California’s criminal justice system ultimately does not lie in prisons.
—Sarah Anderson, Oc Register, 7 May 2026
Over time, federal prosecutors say, several of these groups operating in the prisons evolved into violent criminal organizations such as Los Tiburones and Ñetas, with memberships in the thousands.
—Raquel Rutledge, ProPublica, 5 May 2026
Fitzpatrick said that most inmates in Texas prisons, including those serving a life sentence without parole for capital murder, are housed either in a dorm type of environment or in a cellbock with other prisoners.
—Amy McDaniel, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 4 May 2026
Jay Weaver
may 14, Miami Herald, 14 May 2026
Speculation about the property’s future has lingered since the federal prisons bureau announced FCI Dublin’s closure in 2024, amid a torrent of lawsuits by past and current inmates claiming years of systemic abuse at the hands of the prison’s staff.
—Jakob Rodgers, Mercury News, 14 May 2026
And they were sentenced to nine years and five years in prisons, respectively.
—Dana Taylor, USA Today, 14 May 2026
Prosecutors also displayed the internet search history from Richins’ phone, which included queries about the lethal dose of fentanyl, luxury prisons and how poisoning is marked on a death certificate.
—Hannah Schoenbaum, Chicago Tribune, 13 May 2026
Those included queries about the lethal dose of fentanyl, luxury prisons and how poisoning is marked on a death certificate.
—Hannah Schoenbaum, Los Angeles Times, 13 May 2026
The real crisis in California’s criminal justice system ultimately does not lie in prisons.
—Sarah Anderson, Oc Register, 7 May 2026
Over time, federal prosecutors say, several of these groups operating in the prisons evolved into violent criminal organizations such as Los Tiburones and Ñetas, with memberships in the thousands.
—Raquel Rutledge, ProPublica, 5 May 2026
Fitzpatrick said that most inmates in Texas prisons, including those serving a life sentence without parole for capital murder, are housed either in a dorm type of environment or in a cellbock with other prisoners.
—Amy McDaniel, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 4 May 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for prisons
Noun
-
As a result, families are struggling with the rising cost of living, limited access to county services, unsafe conditions in county jails, and aging infrastructure that has not been maintained.—
Eleanor Dearman,
Fort Worth Star-Telegram,
14 May 2026
-
He was taken to the ICE detention facility in Broadview and eventually transferred to other jails in several states, where he was denied access to heart medication over more than two months while in custody, according to his declaration.—
Madeline Buckley,
Chicago Tribune,
13 May 2026
Noun
-
Behind bars in state penitentiaries in Gatesville and Marlin, Mejia felt forgotten.—
Emiliano Tahui Gómez,
Austin American Statesman,
17 Mar. 2026
-
The wave of prison violence is happening despite the deployment of military and police forces in several penitentiaries.—
Michael Rios,
CNN Money,
8 Dec. 2025
Noun
-
Once a technically complicated legal rarity used to challenge improper incarcerations, habeas corpus petitions have become the predominant avenue for immigrants seeking release from detentions that increasingly end only with a deportation order.—
Seth Klamann,
Denver Post,
12 Apr. 2026
-
Despite their felony convictions and impending incarcerations, both former Met police career criminals continue to collect their monthly kisses in the mail — $8,850 a month for Cederquist and $6,020 for Butner.—
Howie Carr,
Boston Herald,
4 Jan. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Prisons.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/prisons. Accessed 21 May. 2026.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
