parole
1 Americannoun
-
Penology.
-
the conditional release of a person from prison prior to the end of the maximum sentence imposed.
-
such release or its duration.
-
an official document authorizing such a release.
-
-
Military.
-
the promise, usually written, of a prisoner of war, that if released they either will return to custody at a specified time or will not again take up arms against their captors.
-
(formerly) any password given by authorized personnel in passing by a guard.
-
-
word of honor given or pledged.
-
(in U.S. immigration laws) the temporary admission of non-U.S. citizens into the United States for emergency reasons or on grounds considered in the public interest, as authorized by and at the discretion of the attorney general.
verb (used with object)
-
paroles,
present (3rd person singular)
-
paroled,
past participle, past
-
paroling
present participle
-
to place or release on parole.
-
to admit (a non-U.S. citizen) into the United States for emergency reasons or on grounds considered in the public interest.
An increased number of Hungarian refugees were paroled into the United States.
adjective
noun
noun
-
-
the freeing of a prisoner before his sentence has expired, on the condition that he is of good behaviour
-
the duration of such conditional release
-
-
a promise given by a prisoner, as to be of good behaviour if granted liberty or partial liberty
-
a variant spelling of parol
-
military a password
-
linguistics language as manifested in the individual speech acts of particular speakers Compare langue performance competence
-
-
conditionally released from detention
-
informal (of a person) under scrutiny, esp for a recurrence of an earlier shortcoming
-
verb
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Inflected Forms
Participles
Conjugated Forms
Present
-
parolesimple
-
parolessimple
-
have paroledperfect
-
has paroledperfect
-
am parolingprogressive
-
are parolingprogressive
-
is parolingprogressive
-
have been parolingperfect progressive
-
has been parolingperfect progressive
Past
-
paroledsimple
-
had paroledperfect
-
was parolingprogressive
-
were parolingprogressive
-
had been parolingperfect progressive
Future
Etymology
Origin of parole
First recorded in 1610–20; from Middle French, short for parole d'honneur “word of honor”. See parol
Explanation
If you're in prison, after serving a few years you might be let out on parole, a promise to be good and check in regularly. Parole comes from the French for "word," and means "word of honor." You'll most frequently hear it in relation to prisoners, who promise to fulfill certain conditions in return for an early release from jail. When the officials are trying to decide whether a prisoner is ready for parole, they have a parole hearing. Parole can also mean "password." If you're part of an underground revolutionary group, you'll need a parole to help keep your meetings secret. Just say the word at the door, and they'll let you in.
Vocabulary lists containing parole
Freak the Mighty
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!
Seedfolks
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!
Touching Spirit Bear
Want to remember this word for good? Start your learning journey today with our library of interactive, themed word lists built by the experts at Vocabulary.com – we'll help you make the most of your study time!
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:
At the time of the incident, Fairchild was incarcerated after being arrested Sept. 12, 2024, for violating his parole on a 2022 criminal threat conviction.
From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 16, 2026
A BBC Eye undercover investigation revealed he was secretly released on parole in August 2025, after serving less than half his sentence.
From BBC ● Oct. 8, 2026
Her lawyers repeated a call for Tennessee Governor Bill Lee to commute Pike's sentence to life imprisonment without the possibility of parole.
From Barron's ● Oct. 7, 2026
Krenwinkel was granted parole on a preliminary basis Tuesday at her 18th hearing to gauge her suitability for parole, according to the California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation.
From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 7, 2026
Lindsey, a parole agent at Chad, was addressing Richard and a half dozen other young men in a small meeting room inside Chad’s Feather Hall, the living quarters for the facility’s lowest-risk, best-behaving youths.
From "The 57 Bus" by Dashka Slater
Initially, both sides assumed that the familiar practice of cartels and paroles would be maintained.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Feb. 20, 2026
The revocation, she ruled, would have to be on a case-by-case basis, just as their paroles had been granted.
From Los Angeles Times ● Apr. 16, 2025
Like the board of pardons and paroles, Abbott was unmoved.
From Slate ● Oct. 18, 2024
While the governor decides who is granted a pardon, he does not control paroles.
From Washington Times ● Sep. 19, 2022
A sergeant, accompanied by a couple of muskets, stepped into the road, with a modest air examined the paroles, and said, quietly, 'Pass on.'
From Historical Tales, Vol. 2 (of 15) The Romance of Reality by Charles Morris
One of them was sentenced to life with the possibility of parole, and the other was paroled after cooperating with investigators.
From Slate ● Aug. 25, 2026
Homeland Security Assistant Secretary Tricia McLaughlin said the U.S. government was bound by a Biden-era court settlement to expedite asylum claims of Afghans paroled into the U.S. under Operation Allies Welcome.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Nov. 28, 2025
"This is an ongoing sentence from which I can never be paroled."
From Barron's ● Nov. 25, 2025
Working at one of the state’s 35 minimum-security fire camps is a voluntary and coveted job, giving inmates a chance to spend time outside prison walls, help their communities and get paroled more quickly.
From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 12, 2025
In the Milan, Michigan, federal prison, Mr. Muhammad served three and a half years, then he was paroled.
From "The Autobiography of Malcolm X" by Alex Malcolm X;Hailey
South Koreans have been divided over whether Mr. Lee was worth paroling.
From New York Times ● Aug. 9, 2021
“By ICE’s own policy, these are people that shouldn’t be in detention any longer,” Altman said, citing ICE’s process for paroling asylum-seekers until a judge decides their case.
From Seattle Times ● Aug. 4, 2021
The Baltimore Sun on the involvement of the governor of Maryland in paroling three juveniles who were given life sentences:
From Washington Times ● Nov. 27, 2019
Human-rights advocates say that paroling the perpetrators threatens the entire logic of international criminal law.
From The New Yorker ● Jul. 9, 2018
Page 511, line 20, read "parallel" for "paroling."
From History of Kershaw's Brigade by D. Augustus Dickert
Random Word
Spin the wheel and learn a new word!
Get a wordDefinitions 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.
