parole

[ puh-rohl ]

/ pəˈroʊl /

SEE SYNONYMS FOR parole ON THESAURUS.COM

noun

Penology.

the conditional release of a person from prison prior to the end of the maximum sentence imposed.
such release or its duration.
an official document authorizing such a release.

Military.

the promise, usually written, of a prisoner of war, that if released he or she either will return to custody at a specified time or will not again take up arms against his or her captors.
(formerly) any password given by authorized personnel in passing by a guard.

word of honor given or pledged.

(in U.S. immigration laws) the temporary admission of aliens into the U.S. for emergency reasons or on grounds considered in the public interest, as authorized by and at the discretion of the attorney general.

verb (used with object), pa·roled, pa·rol·ing.

to place or release on parole.

to admit (an alien) into the U.S. under the parole provision: An increased number of Hungarian refugees were paroled into the United States.

adjective

of or relating to parole or parolees: a parole record.

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Origin of parole

1610–20; < Middle French, short for parole d'honneur word of honor. See parol

OTHER WORDS FROM parole

pa·rol·a·ble, adjectiveun·pa·rol·a·ble, adjectiveun·pa·roled, adjective

Words nearby parole

parody, paroecious, paroicous, parokheth, parol, parole, parolee, paromphalocele, paronomasia, paronychia, paronym

Definition for parole (2 of 2)

parole²

[ pa-rawl ]

/ paˈrɔl /

noun French.

language as manifested in the actual utterances produced by speakers of a language (contrasted with langue).

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2020

Example sentences from the Web for parole

On his eighth try, more than three decades after he went in, the parole board finally voted to release Sam.
His First Day Out Of Jail After 40 Years: Adjusting To Life Outside|Justin Rohrlich|January 3, 2015|DAILY BEAST
As a free man, even on parole, I can sense that my life has value again.
A Million Ways to Die in Prison|Daniel Genis|December 8, 2014|DAILY BEAST
A series of judges and parole officers had ordered him to go as an alternative to jail.
Elizabeth Peña and the Truth About Alcoholic Women|Gabrielle Glaser|October 24, 2014|DAILY BEAST
When convicted, those children can receive sentences as severe as life without the possibility of parole.
Paying Taxes and Going to Jail Like Adults; Teens Deserve the Right to Vote, Too|Jillian Keenan|October 6, 2014|DAILY BEAST

But the law explicitly stated that a resulting life sentence was to be without even the possibility of parole.
How the North Carolina GOP Made a Wrongfully Convicted Man a Death Row Scapegoat|Michael Daly|September 4, 2014|DAILY BEAST
It began by my informing them these were not offences for which an officer, who had refused his parole, could be punished.
The Secrets of a Kuttite|Edward O. Mousley
If he could be released from parole he would do loyal service for his country.
Rodney, the Ranger|John V. Lane
Prisoners of war may be released from captivity by exchange, and, under certain circumstances, also by parole.
International Law|George Grafton Wilson and George Fox Tucker
Shall a hostage on parole make sketches of a fort and send them to his friends, who in turn pass them on to a foolish general?
The Seats Of The Mighty, Complete|Gilbert Parker
Then, again, we had learned our lesson as regards the men who had given their parole.
The War in South Africa|Arthur Conan Doyle

British Dictionary definitions for parole

parole

/ (pəˈrəʊl) /

noun

the freeing of a prisoner before his sentence has expired, on the condition that he is of good behaviour
the duration of such conditional release

a promise given by a prisoner, as to be of good behaviour if granted liberty or partial liberty

a variant spelling of parol

US military a password

linguistics language as manifested in the individual speech acts of particular speakersCompare langue, performance (def. 7), competence (def. 5)

on parole

conditionally released from detention
informal (of a person) under scrutiny, esp for a recurrence of an earlier shortcoming

verb (tr)

to place (a person) on parole

Derived forms of parole

parolable, adjectiveparolee (pəˌrəʊˈliː), noun

Word Origin for parole

C17: from Old French, from the phrase parole d'honneur word of honour; parole from Late Latin parabola speech

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

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parole

noun