prisoner

[priz-uh-ner, priz-ner]

noun

1. a person who is confined in prison or kept in custody, especially as the result of legal process.

2. prisoner of war.

3. a person or thing that is deprived of liberty or kept in restraint.

prisoner

/ ˈprɪzənə /

noun

1. 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

2. a person confined by any of various restraints

   we are all prisoners of time

3. informal,  to be uncompromising and resolute in one's actions

4. to capture and hold someone as a prisoner, esp as a prisoner of war

Word History and Origins

Origin of prisoner¹

1300–50; Middle English < Anglo-French. See prison, -er ²

Example Sentences

He said the prisoner should be buried in “a known place.”

Read more on The Wall Street Journal

When another prisoner dies, he switches places with the dead body and is buried at sea, after which he swims to freedom and is rescued by friendly smugglers.

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Where were prisoners kept in this vast, unfeeling city?

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Eventually some German prisoners of war would stay there.

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"Bringing the end of the war closer with all our might is Ukraine's top priority," Zelensky said, adding that efforts would also focus on resuming prisoner exchanges.

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Related Words

• captive 
• convict 
• detainee 
• hostage