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prisoner

American  
[priz-uh-ner, priz-ner] / ˈprɪz ə nər, ˈprɪz nər /

noun

  1. a person who is confined in prison or kept in custody, especially as the result of legal process.

  2. prisoner of war.

  3. a person or thing that is deprived of liberty or kept in restraint.

prisoner British  
/ ˈprɪzənə /

noun

  1. a person deprived of liberty and kept in prison or some other form of custody as a punishment for a crime, while awaiting trial, or for some other reason

  2. a person confined by any of various restraints

    we are all prisoners of time

  3. informal to be uncompromising and resolute in one's actions

  4. to capture and hold someone as a prisoner, esp as a prisoner of war

"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Etymology

Origin of prisoner

1300–50; Middle English < Anglo-French. See prison, -er 2

Compare meaning

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Explanation

A prisoner is a person being held in prison as a punishment. During wartime a prisoner is someone held captive by the enemy. Alternately, if you’re so attractive you can’t leave the house, you’re a prisoner of your own good looks. Someone who's caught robbing a bank or stealing a car will probably become a prisoner, locked inside a prison for as long as the sentence specifies. If you feel stuck or confined in some way, you may consider yourself a metaphorical prisoner, like an actor who whines that he’s a prisoner of his own success, since he’s not able to go anywhere without cameras flashing and fans screaming.

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Vocabulary lists containing prisoner

Florida's B.E.S.T. Common Suffixes: -er, -or

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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.

She also won Trump’s approval for a prisoner swap that freed an Italian journalist held in Iran in exchange for an Iranian businessman arrested in Italy and wanted by the U.S.

From The Wall Street Journal • Apr. 16, 2026

It was the first time that the famous prisoner had been seen publicly in years, and he appeared aged and gaunt.

From BBC • Apr. 15, 2026

It is the second time this year that Cuba has announced a prisoner release.

From BBC • Apr. 3, 2026

Determined to set things right, Kornev insists on seeing the prisoner, Stepniak, only to discover how difficult such a seemingly straightforward request proves to be.

From Los Angeles Times • Mar. 26, 2026

As each prisoner reached this point, she gave her name for the thousandth time that day and placed on the desk whatever she was wearing of value.

From "The Hiding Place" by Corrie ten Boom

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.