inmate
Americannoun
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a person who is confined in a prison, hospital, etc.
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Archaic. a person who dwells with others in the same house.
noun
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a person who is confined to an institution such as a prison or hospital See also resident
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obsolete a person who lives with others in a house
Etymology
Origin of inmate
Compare meaning
How does inmate compare to similar and commonly confused words? Explore the most common comparisons:
Explanation
An inmate is a person who lives in a specific place, especially someone who's confined there, like a prisoner. You can call yourself an Inmate if you get sent to your room, but usually inmates are behind bars in "the big house." You can talk about a hospital inmate or the inmates at a local boarding school, but it's most common to use inmate and prisoner interchangeably. Originally, in the 16th century, an inmate was "one allowed to live in a house rented by another" — a roommate who's not on the lease, in other words. This meaning comes from in and mate, "friend or companion." By the 1830s, inmate had come to mean "one confined to an institution."
Vocabulary lists containing inmate
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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.
He claimed to have been inspired by blues legend Screamin’ Jay Hawkins, who he said was a fellow inmate at one point.
From Los Angeles Times • Apr. 30, 2026
The Oscar winner plays an innocent death-row inmate in a drama inspired by a documentary and co-starring Tessa Thompson.
From The Wall Street Journal • Apr. 16, 2026
Olivar is now listed in an ICE inmate locator as being held at the Adelanto ICE Processing Center.
From Los Angeles Times • Mar. 20, 2026
Although the Prison Service did not confirm the identity of the injured prisoner, it confirmed an inmate at HMP Frankland in County Durham is receiving treatment.
From BBC • Feb. 26, 2026
Each inmate had an officer holding the chain of his cuffs and marching him back to my gallery.
From "Newjack: Guarding Sing Sing" by Ted Conover
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.
