: 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
From 1910 to 2001, the Liberty Crest Apartments were known as the Lorton Reformatory, a prison in Lorton, Virginia that housed inmates from Washington, D.C.
It is more widely known as the site where many suffragists were held after the Silent Sentinels pickets at the White House in 1917.
—
Celia Fernandez, CNBC, 19 Apr. 2025
An escaped California inmate wanted for killing the leader of an elite Mexican police unit while on the run was arrested in Tijuana, Mexico.
—Landon Mion, FOXNews.com, 19 Apr. 2025
The tournament, which took more than two years to plan, was open to all interested and eligible inmates.
—Mary Divine, Twin Cities, 18 Apr. 2025
Erik has participated in prison hospice work, and both have mentored fellow inmates.
—Thomas G. Moukawsher, MSNBC Newsweek, 17 Apr. 2025
See All Example Sentences for inmate
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Celia Fernandez, CNBC, 19 Apr. 2025
An escaped California inmate wanted for killing the leader of an elite Mexican police unit while on the run was arrested in Tijuana, Mexico.
—Landon Mion, FOXNews.com, 19 Apr. 2025
The tournament, which took more than two years to plan, was open to all interested and eligible inmates.
—Mary Divine, Twin Cities, 18 Apr. 2025
Erik has participated in prison hospice work, and both have mentored fellow inmates.
—Thomas G. Moukawsher, MSNBC Newsweek, 17 Apr. 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 23 Apr. 2025.
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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