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maximum-security

American  
[mak-suh-muhm-si-kyoor-i-tee] / ˈmæk sə məm sɪˈkyʊər ɪ ti /

adjective

  1. designed for or housing prisoners regarded as being very dangerous to society.


Etymology

Origin of maximum-security

First recorded in 1965–70

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.

The White House, for example, is seeking $152 million from Congress to turn Alcatraz back into a maximum-security prison, an idea the president has talked about for several years.

From Los Angeles Times • Apr. 3, 2026

Bureau of Prisons records show he is housed at a maximum-security federal prison in Florence, Colo., know as the “Alcatraz of The Rockies,” that also houses the “El Chapo” and other high-profile criminals.

From Los Angeles Times • Feb. 22, 2026

Who guarded them under maximum-security conditions while waiting for the international coalition to decide their fate?

From The Wall Street Journal • Feb. 2, 2026

On Monday, Weiss was accused by a CBS News staff member of pulling a planned segment on an El Salvador maximum-security prison where the Trump administration sent hundreds of Venezuelan migrants.

From Barron's • Dec. 22, 2025

The maximum-security prison was more recently built than Holman or Donaldson, the other maximum-security prisons in Alabama, but no one would suggest that St. Clair was modern.

From "Just Mercy" by Bryan Stevenson