prison

American  

[priz-uhn] / ˈprɪz ən /

noun

1. a building for the confinement of persons held while awaiting trial, persons sentenced after conviction, etc.

2. state prison.

3. any place of confinement or involuntary restraint.

4. imprisonment.

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prison British  

/ ˈprɪzən /

noun

1. a public building used to house convicted criminals and accused persons remanded in custody and awaiting trial See also jail penitentiary reformatory

2. any place of confinement or seeming confinement

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Other Word Forms

• postprison adjective
• prisonlike adjective

Etymology

Origin of prison

before 1150; Middle English prison, earlier prisun < Old French, variant of preson imprisonment, a prison < Latin pre ( hē ) nsiōn- (stem of prehēnsiō ) a seizure, arrest, equivalent to prehēns ( us ) (past participle of prehendere to seize) + -iōn- -ion; doublet of prehension

Example Sentences

Those caught with it for unlawful use face a caution, community service or an unlimited fine with repeat offenders facing up to two years in prison.

From BBC

Though Murdaugh might see snippets of the hearing on the news in a prison common area, he doesn’t have internet access and will be unable to watch the proceeding’s livestream, a spokeswoman said.

From The Wall Street Journal

Mr. Kwok now faces up to seven years in prison, and during the trial authorities forbade him from talking to his daughter as a condition of bail.

From The Wall Street Journal

He was ordered to pay the unpaid fares and handed a three‑month prison sentence, suspended for 12 months, at Westminster Magistrates' Court.

From BBC

And if Emma’s dad is in prison…my brain starts imagining the worst.

From Literature

Related Words

• confinement
• jail
• lockup
• penitentiary