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
Etymology
Origin of prisoner
Compare meaning
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.
However, in December 2023, Saab was released from US custody as part of a prisoner exchange with Venezuela.
From Barron's • May 17, 2026
With every announcement of a prisoner exchange, Kravtsova feels hope that is then shattered.
From Barron's • May 8, 2026
The talks focused on prisoner exchanges and the need to intensify the diplomatic process, Umerov said in a post on X.
From The Wall Street Journal • May 8, 2026
Scotland - which along with other parts of Britain has one of the highest incarceration rates in Europe - has approved several emergency measures in recent years in a bid to cut prisoner numbers.
From BBC • May 4, 2026
Chief Powhatan refused to give in to the hostage takers’ demands, and Pocahontas remained a prisoner.
From "Blood on the River" by Elisa Carbone
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.
