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 take-no-prisoners, take no prisoners
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
Wang had held numerous talks with Waltz’s predecessor, Jake Sullivan, including an exchange that led to a rare prisoner swap.
—
Beijing and Washington Bureaus, USA Today, 14 Apr. 2025
The prisoner then receives an injection in their arm.
—Chris Gardner, HollywoodReporter, 11 Apr. 2025
Moscow released a Russian-American woman in a prisoner swap with the United States, and a country singer lost his cool after fans threw a beer on stage.
—Fox News Staff, FOXNews.com, 11 Apr. 2025
While in jail, Dean bonds with Zoro, a grim and mysterious teenage prisoner serving time for murder.
—Max Goldbart, Deadline, 11 Apr. 2025
See All Example Sentences for prisoner
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Beijing and Washington Bureaus, USA Today, 14 Apr. 2025
The prisoner then receives an injection in their arm.
—Chris Gardner, HollywoodReporter, 11 Apr. 2025
Moscow released a Russian-American woman in a prisoner swap with the United States, and a country singer lost his cool after fans threw a beer on stage.
—Fox News Staff, FOXNews.com, 11 Apr. 2025
While in jail, Dean bonds with Zoro, a grim and mysterious teenage prisoner serving time for murder.
—Max Goldbart, Deadline, 11 Apr. 2025
See All Example Sentences for prisoner
Cite this Entry
“Prisoner.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/prisoner. Accessed 23 Apr. 2025.
Copy CitationKids Definition
prisoner
noun
pris·on·er
ˈpriz-nər 
-ᵊn-ər
: a person who has been captured or locked up
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