First recorded in 1715–25
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
He is being held in lieu of $1.4-million bail and faces 26 years in state prison if convicted as charged.
From Los Angeles Times • May 20, 2026
As a result, he could avoid spending time in state prison.
From Los Angeles Times • May 7, 2026
Shojinaga faces up to seven years in state prison if convicted, prosecutors said.
From Los Angeles Times • Mar. 2, 2026
Funston, granted parole earlier this month, was set to be released on Thursday from state prison — but was rearrested that same day on new charges from a decades-old, untried case.
From Los Angeles Times • Feb. 27, 2026
It turns out Mama was in the women’s state prison and Dusty was in another jail in Florida.
From "Three Little Words: A Memoir" by Ashley Rhodes-Courter
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.
