prisoner

[ priz-uh-ner, priz-ner ]

/ ˈprɪz ə nər, ˈprɪz nər /

SEE MORE SYNONYMS FOR prisoner ON THESAURUS.COM

noun

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

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

Nearby words

prison, prison camp, prison fever, prison psychosis, prison rustic work, prisoner, prisoner of war, prisoner's base, prisoner's dilemma, priss, prissie

Origin of prisoner

1300–50; Middle English < Anglo-French. See prison, -er²

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019

Examples from the Web for prisoner

And now, similarly, former Arkansas governor Mike Huckabee: "Bend over and take it like a prisoner!"
Huckabee 2016: Bend Over and Take It Like a Prisoner!|Olivia Nuzzi|January 8, 2015|DAILY BEAST
Clickbait title notwithstanding, Bend Over and Take It Like a Prisoner!
Huckabee 2016: Bend Over and Take It Like a Prisoner!|Olivia Nuzzi|January 8, 2015|DAILY BEAST
One prisoner, who was left naked and shackled to a cold floor, died of suspected hypothermia.
What the Torture Report Kept Hidden|Shane Harris, Tim Mak|December 10, 2014|DAILY BEAST
He was found guilty and sentenced to life in 1982, but released in 1985 in a prisoner exchange.
Palestinian Cabinet Member Dies in Confrontation with Israeli Soldier|Creede Newton|December 10, 2014|DAILY BEAST

Apparently all of the staff had done it at some point, but as a prisoner my experience was rare.
A Million Ways to Die in Prison|Daniel Genis|December 8, 2014|DAILY BEAST
A cleverly written description of a young English officer's internment as a prisoner of war in Germany.
A Kut Prisoner|H. C. W. Bishop
When breakfast was over, we commenced our return to camp, taking with us our prisoner and captured property.
Four Years A Scout and Spy|E. C. Downs
“This, signora, is the prisoner of whom I told you,” said my conductor by way of introduction.
Under the Meteor Flag|Harry Collingwood
There, having first stripped his prisoner of all his weapons, Hans sat the man up in the angle of the wall.
Otto of the Silver Hand|Howard Pyle
But he is virtually a prisoner in the south tower, guarded by my soldiers.
A Witch Shall Be Born|Robert E. Howard

British Dictionary definitions for prisoner

prisoner

/ (ˈprɪzənə) /

noun

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

a person confined by any of various restraintswe are all prisoners of time

take no prisoners informal to be uncompromising and resolute in one's actions

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

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