inmate
Americannoun
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a person who is confined in a prison, hospital, etc.
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Archaic. a person who dwells with others in the same house.
noun
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a person who is confined to an institution such as a prison or hospital See also resident
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obsolete a person who lives with others in a house
Etymology
Origin of inmate
Compare meaning
How does inmate compare to similar and commonly confused words? Explore the most common comparisons:
Explanation
An inmate is a person who lives in a specific place, especially someone who's confined there, like a prisoner. You can call yourself an Inmate if you get sent to your room, but usually inmates are behind bars in "the big house." You can talk about a hospital inmate or the inmates at a local boarding school, but it's most common to use inmate and prisoner interchangeably. Originally, in the 16th century, an inmate was "one allowed to live in a house rented by another" — a roommate who's not on the lease, in other words. This meaning comes from in and mate, "friend or companion." By the 1830s, inmate had come to mean "one confined to an institution."
Vocabulary lists containing inmate
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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.
The Oscar winner plays an innocent death-row inmate in a drama inspired by a documentary and co-starring Tessa Thompson.
From The Wall Street Journal • Apr. 16, 2026
County Sheriff Robert Luna has asked the National Institute of Corrections to step in and conduct a review of jail conditions after 10 inmate deaths in less than three months.
From Los Angeles Times • Apr. 1, 2026
Ortiz was arraigned on Tuesday and is being held in a Los Angeles jail on bail of over $1.8 million, according to county inmate records and prosecutors.
From The Wall Street Journal • Mar. 11, 2026
As he reflected on his encounter with Orme on his return to Wales, Williams said he would continue to write to the inmate, in spite of the criticism.
From BBC • Mar. 10, 2026
A few cells down, to my amazement, a young Latino inmate was out on the gallery cutting an older man’s hair with electric clippers.
From "Newjack: Guarding Sing Sing" by Ted Conover
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.
