prisoner
Americannoun
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a person who is confined in prison or kept in custody, especially as the result of legal process.
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a person or thing that is deprived of liberty or kept in restraint.
noun
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a person deprived of liberty and kept in prison or some other form of custody as a punishment for a crime, while awaiting trial, or for some other reason
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a person confined by any of various restraints
we are all prisoners of time
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informal to be uncompromising and resolute in one's actions
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to capture and hold someone as a prisoner, esp as a prisoner of war
Other Word Forms
Noun Inflected Forms
Etymology
Origin of prisoner
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How does prisoner compare to similar and commonly confused words? Explore the most common comparisons:
Explanation
A prisoner is a person being held in prison as a punishment. During wartime a prisoner is someone held captive by the enemy. Alternately, if you’re so attractive you can’t leave the house, you’re a prisoner of your own good looks. Someone who's caught robbing a bank or stealing a car will probably become a prisoner, locked inside a prison for as long as the sentence specifies. If you feel stuck or confined in some way, you may consider yourself a metaphorical prisoner, like an actor who whines that he’s a prisoner of his own success, since he’s not able to go anywhere without cameras flashing and fans screaming.
Vocabulary lists containing prisoner
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.
See Examples For:
A few months later, the Russians took him prisoner.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 26, 2026
Wes Streeting has said there was "no ill intent" behind comments he made about the early prisoner release scheme, which were caught on camera.
From BBC ● Jul. 22, 2026
Chowdhury's defence barrister told jurors he had not known he was dealing with an escaped prisoner, describing Khalife as a spy who "knows how to deceive".
From BBC ● Jul. 21, 2026
Otero Alcantara, designated a prisoner of conscience by Amnesty International, was sentenced to five years in prison in 2022 for insulting national symbols, contempt and disturbing the public order.
From Barron's ● Jul. 18, 2026
The girls twined around her; their long arms held her prisoner.
From "A Girl Named Disaster" by Nancy Farmer
She has proposed fighting crime by expelling undocumented people, setting up courts with anonymous judges and making prisoners work for their food.
From Barron's ● Jul. 28, 2026
The clearest example of this spirit is Jail Time Records, an on-site music studio and label making mini stars out of the most talented prisoners.
From BBC ● Jul. 26, 2026
During a dance class for the prisoners, a crew of rappers took over the microphone and began freestyling.
From BBC ● Jul. 26, 2026
It was announced on Wednesday that new Prime Minister Andy Burnham was pausing an upcoming scheme that would have seen thousands of prisoners in England and Wales eligible to be released from prison early.
From BBC ● Jul. 24, 2026
The knitters of Barracks 28 became the praying heart of the vast diseased body that was Ravensbruck, interceding for all in the camp—guards, under Betsie’s prodding, as well as prisoners.
From "The Hiding Place" by Corrie ten Boom
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.
