prison

[ priz-uhn ]

noun

1. a building for the confinement of persons held while awaiting trial, persons sentenced after conviction, etc.
2. state prison.
3. any place of confinement or involuntary restraint.
4. imprisonment.

prison

/ ˈprɪzən /

noun

1. a public building used to house convicted criminals and accused persons remanded in custody and awaiting trial See also jail penitentiary reformatory
2. any place of confinement or seeming confinement

Other Words From

• prison·like adjective
• post·prison adjective

Word History and Origins

Origin of prison¹

before 1150; Middle English prison, earlier prisun < Old French, variant of preson imprisonment, a prison < Latin pre ( hē ) nsiōn- (stem of prehēnsiō ) a seizure, arrest, equivalent to prehēns ( us ) (past participle of prehendere to seize) + -iōn- -ion; doublet of prehension

Word History and Origins

Origin of prison¹

C12: from Old French prisun, from Latin prēnsiō a capturing, from prehendere to lay hold of

Example Sentences

He faces a maximum sentence of 70 years to life plus 48 years and eight months in state prison if convicted of all charges.

From Los Angeles Times

Second-degree manslaughter carries a maximum sentence of 15 years in prison.

From Salon

A 23-year-old Placer County man will soon begin serving a decades-long prison sentence after he was convicted of murder for providing the fentanyl that killed a soon-to-be father struggling with addiction.

From Los Angeles Times

He spent almost three decades in prison in South Africa before being freed on parole in 2022, sparking protests and an outcry, in a nation still grappling with racism and apartheid's legacy.

From BBC

The president’s son was facing years in prison after pleading guilty to tax evasion charges and being convicted of gun charges related to his drug addiction.

From Los Angeles Times

Related Words

• confinement
• jail
• lockup
• penitentiary