behind bars

Idioms  

1. In prison, as in All murderers should be put behind bars for life. The bars here refer to the iron rods used to confine prisoners. [c. 1900]

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Example Sentences

See Examples For:

behind bars

Visiting the jail where his assailant was being held at the time of filming, he notes that he’d much rather be where he is than behind bars.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 17, 2026

Formerly a Golden Dawn MP from 2012 to 2019, Kasidiaris was jailed for six years and worked off the rest of his sentence while behind bars.

From Barron's ● Sep. 15, 2026

But his plot unravelled again, and Potier was sentenced to 12 years behind bars.

From BBC ● Sep. 11, 2026

How might justice be done for Cora, Dawson, and Callan if the person who killed them doesn’t spend the rest of her life behind bars?

From Slate ● Sep. 5, 2026

The FBI and the newspapers were quick to proclaim that “the War’s No. 1 Woman Spy” had been put behind bars.

From "The Woman All Spies Fear" by Amy Butler Greenfield