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
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of prison
The law made significant changes to sentencing, prison conditions, and post-release supervision.
—
Walter Pavlo, Forbes.com, 14 July 2025
The report does not identify specific prisons or prisoners nor disclose their gender, but some of the details are disturbing.
—Joseph Shapiro, NPR, 14 July 2025
Singer continued to advise prospective undergraduates on their college applications while serving his sentence in federal prison in Florida, and from a California halfway house after his release.
—ABC News, 14 July 2025
Administration officials flaunted court orders by deporting immigrants to a Salvadoran prison.
—Nell Salzman, Chicago Tribune, 6 July 2025
See All Example Sentences for prison
Walter Pavlo, Forbes.com, 14 July 2025
The report does not identify specific prisons or prisoners nor disclose their gender, but some of the details are disturbing.
—Joseph Shapiro, NPR, 14 July 2025
Singer continued to advise prospective undergraduates on their college applications while serving his sentence in federal prison in Florida, and from a California halfway house after his release.
—ABC News, 14 July 2025
Administration officials flaunted court orders by deporting immigrants to a Salvadoran prison.
—Nell Salzman, Chicago Tribune, 6 July 2025
See All Example Sentences for prison
Recent Examples of Synonyms for prison
Noun
-
As reported in 5280, Richard served 30 days in jail and 60 nights of work release.—
EW.com,
EW.com,
15 July 2025
-
Here’s hoping the real-life couple’s big day went more smoothly than Elizabeth and Henry’s Season 5 vow renewal, which took place at an Arizona jail after she was arrested for speaking out against draconian family separation policies at the United States border.—
Kimberly Roots,
TVLine,
15 July 2025
Noun
-
At least 20 living hostages are believed to still remain in Hamas captivity.—
ABC News,
ABC News,
13 July 2025
-
Zelensky said most of the Ukrainians had been in Russian captivity since 2022.—
Hanna Arhirova,
Los Angeles Times,
4 July 2025
Noun
-
But local officials and historians have questioned the practical and symbolic implications of converting the island back into a penitentiary.—
Kate Talerico,
Mercury News,
17 July 2025
-
Her various occupations, paid and unpaid, included teaching convicts at an area penitentiary and substitute-teaching in junior high.—
Inga,
San Diego Union-Tribune,
23 June 2025
Noun
-
The restaurant, located at 810 1/2 E. 31st St., was opened in 1951 by Paul and Kitty Kawakami, a Japanese-American couple who was confined in a California internment camp during World War II despite both being born in the U.S., according to The Star’s archives.—
Kansas City Star,
Kansas City Star,
25 July 2025
-
Her grandfather, along with other family members, was imprisoned during World War II in the Japanese internment camps, losing the family farm in the process.—
Brittany Anas,
Denver Post,
23 July 2025
Noun
-
The impact of their monthslong incarceration extended beyond them.—
ProPublica,
ProPublica,
23 July 2025
-
As alarming as this situation is, the toxic brew of brutal incarceration, migrant abuse, and private interests has a deep, dark history in Florida.—
Time,
Time,
17 July 2025
Noun
-
Writing becomes an act of containment—not confinement.—
Matthew Clark Davison,
Literary Hub,
11 July 2025
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The former president returned to confinement in the Seoul Detention Center about 20 km (12 miles) south of the capital after the decision.—
Reuters,
NBC news,
9 July 2025
Cite this Entry
“Prison.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/prison. Accessed 29 Jul. 2025.
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