inmate

[in-meyt]

noun

1. a person who is confined in a prison, hospital, etc.

2. Archaic.,  a person who dwells with others in the same house.

inmate

/ ˈɪnˌmeɪt /

noun

1. a person who is confined to an institution such as a prison or hospital See also resident

2. obsolete,  a person who lives with others in a house

Word History and Origins

Origin of inmate¹

First recorded in 1580–90; in- ¹ + mate ¹

Example Sentences

With that guidance, officials canceled plans to transfer most of the inmates to mainline prisons.

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The camera looks down at the jail as the inmates spill into the courtyard.

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What happens to the ingenious rogue inmate after he breaks out of prison at the end of the story?

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He saw inmates as his countrymen, and his faith taught him that nobody was beyond salvation; there was good in everyone.

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When guards entered the prison exercise yard on Feb. 16, the day of Navalny’s death, they found their most high-profile inmate sitting on the ground, reiterating complaints about the pain he was feeling.

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Related Words

• convict 
• prisoner