prisoner

[priz-uh-ner, priz-ner]

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

/ 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

Word History and Origins

Origin of prisoner¹

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

Example Sentences

Mr Hogg said going through the process again had been "retraumatising", adding criminal justice "never favours victims" but instead prioritises prisoners.

From BBC

Some of the blood was from abroad, but in Scotland, the majority came from Scottish donors which included prisoners and drug users.

From BBC

In a statement, al-Shabab said it released "all the Muslim prisoners" from the facility and inflicted heavy casualties on those guarding the centre.

From BBC

We also see a collective resistance: a statewide prisoner strike in 2022 that tries to call attention to a free-labor boondoggle that can only be called modern slavery.

From Los Angeles Times

And then there are the ghosts, which prisoners reportedly feared as much, if not more, than the physical conditions.

From Salon

Related Words

• captive 
• convict 
• detainee 
• hostage