inmate
Americannoun
-
inmates
plural
-
a person who is confined in a prison, hospital, etc.
-
Archaic. a person who dwells with others in the same house.
noun
-
a person who is confined to an institution such as a prison or hospital See also resident
-
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
Al Capone Does My Shirts
Looking to grow your vocabulary? Check out this interactive, curated word list from our team of English language specialists at Vocabulary.com – one of over 17,000 lists we've built to help learners worldwide!
A Bird in the Air Means We Can Still Breathe
Interested in learning more words like this one? Our team at Vocabulary.com has got you covered! You can review flashcards, quiz yourself, practice spelling, and more – and it's all completely free to use!
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:
Taele is being held in a local jail, according to county inmate records.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 5, 2026
News of Combs’ further-truncated sentence comes a week after TMZ reported the musician was involved in an altercation with another inmate.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 30, 2026
"It's this instrument of resistance… where we can really share friendship, love and our voices can be heard," Steve Happi, the former inmate who co-founded Jail Time Records, tells the BBC's Talking Movies programme.
From BBC ● Jul. 26, 2026
In Naiguata, a small coastal town famous for its traditional "dancing devils" festival, Cesar Rendon, 49, a former inmate who lived in the town's halfway house, confides that he "unburdened himself" with Apostol.
From Barron's ● Jul. 8, 2026
One inmate was thronged by three little kids the moment he left our desk.
From "Newjack: Guarding Sing Sing" by Ted Conover
Rivera was just one of a number of former inmates I spoke with whose stories illuminated just how impactful a digital footprint is for the formerly incarcerated.
From Slate ● Aug. 6, 2026
Soon, I’d see inmates unveil smartphones all around me.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 5, 2026
The musician released his latest single, “Hands Up,” on June 24, followed by the music video on July 17, which was filmed at San Quentin Rehabilitation Center and incorporated inmates from the facility.
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 4, 2026
"We got reinforcements from the armed forces and the Special Task Force commandos to restore order and send the inmates back to their cells," Medawatte told reporters outside the prison.
From Barron's ● Aug. 2, 2026
Nearly one in five prison and jail inmates has a serious mental illness.
From "Just Mercy" by Bryan Stevenson
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.
