inmate
Americannoun
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inmates
plural
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a person who is confined in a prison, hospital, etc.
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Archaic. a person who dwells with others in the same house.
noun
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a person who is confined to an institution such as a prison or hospital See also resident
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obsolete a person who lives with others in a house
Other Word Forms
Noun Inflected Forms
Etymology
Origin of inmate
Compare meaning
How does inmate compare to similar and commonly confused words? Explore the most common comparisons:
Explanation
An inmate is a person who lives in a specific place, especially someone who's confined there, like a prisoner. You can call yourself an Inmate if you get sent to your room, but usually inmates are behind bars in "the big house." You can talk about a hospital inmate or the inmates at a local boarding school, but it's most common to use inmate and prisoner interchangeably. Originally, in the 16th century, an inmate was "one allowed to live in a house rented by another" — a roommate who's not on the lease, in other words. This meaning comes from in and mate, "friend or companion." By the 1830s, inmate had come to mean "one confined to an institution."
Vocabulary lists containing inmate
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Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
See Examples For:
He was an inmate himself, locked up two hours away at Washington State Prison in Davisboro, Ga.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 14, 2026
San Joaquin County Sheriff’s Department inmate records did not indicate that he was in custody Monday.
From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 14, 2026
“The case hinged on the testimony of inmate witnesses who testified in shackles and orange jumpsuits.”
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 27, 2026
Dr Stephanie Prost, a researcher in older adults and prison settings at the University of Louisville in Kentucky, told the BBC that most prisons have an inmate like Smith.
From BBC ● Aug. 19, 2026
That day, however, Billings and I had only one inmate to transport, a Mexican who had a deportation hearing at an immigration court inside the Downstate Correctional Facility, about an hour’s drive away.
From "Newjack: Guarding Sing Sing" by Ted Conover
His words about what inmates “earnestly believe,” psychologically, tell us more about the language insiders use to confirm their insider status.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 15, 2026
Prison bosses later faced formal censure proceedings after inmates and staff were exposed to dangerous levels of the naturally occurring radioactive gas.
From BBC ● Sep. 13, 2026
And a dwindling number of attorneys who specialize in death penalty cases meant 70% of condemned inmates did not have a lawyer at the end of last year, according to a state report.
From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 8, 2026
Extra prison space would also be created by deporting more foreign prisoners and releasing some inmates serving indefinite sentences.
From BBC ● Sep. 1, 2026
Newly freed inmates streamed out the front gate.
From "Dactyl Hill Squad" by Daniel José Older
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
