1
: a state of confinement or captivity
2
: a place of confinement especially for lawbreakers
specifically
: an institution (such as one under state jurisdiction) for confinement of persons convicted of serious crimes compare jail
Examples of prison in a Sentence
Noun
The state plans to build two more prisons.
He was in prison at the time.
If caught, they're all going to prison.
She was sent to prison for robbery.
He was released from prison.
He's scheduled to get out of prison next month.
Her marriage became a prison to her.
Recent Examples on the Web
Melissa Brown, The Tennessean, 15 July 2025
What To Know According to an anonymous source speaking to the Daily Mail, Maxwell, who was convicted in 2022 over her links to Epstein's illicit activities and is serving a 20-year prison sentence, has expressed a willingness to testify before Congress about her experiences.
—Kate Plummer, MSNBC Newsweek, 15 July 2025
The perspective of the newspapers is also critical because most information about incarceration comes from law enforcement personnel and prison data, which tend to frame prison populations as a singular unit and focus on data instead of people.
—The Editors, JSTOR Daily, 15 July 2025
Based on true events, the Gorgona Island prison, 34 miles off the Pacific coast, was once one of the most brutal of tropical penitentiary for murderers, rapists and political prisoners, notorious for its use of torture.
—John Hopewell, Variety, 15 July 2025
See All Example Sentences for prison
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
show current usage.
Read More
Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors.
Send us feedback.
Noun
Between 2020 and 2023, 529 people died in general population Tennessee prisons, excluding 162 deaths that occurred in a medical unit prison.
—Melissa Brown, The Tennessean, 15 July 2025
What To Know According to an anonymous source speaking to the Daily Mail, Maxwell, who was convicted in 2022 over her links to Epstein's illicit activities and is serving a 20-year prison sentence, has expressed a willingness to testify before Congress about her experiences.
—Kate Plummer, MSNBC Newsweek, 15 July 2025
The perspective of the newspapers is also critical because most information about incarceration comes from law enforcement personnel and prison data, which tend to frame prison populations as a singular unit and focus on data instead of people.
—The Editors, JSTOR Daily, 15 July 2025
Based on true events, the Gorgona Island prison, 34 miles off the Pacific coast, was once one of the most brutal of tropical penitentiary for murderers, rapists and political prisoners, notorious for its use of torture.
—John Hopewell, Variety, 15 July 2025
See All Example Sentences for prison
Cite this Entry
“Prison.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/prison. Accessed 21 Jul. 2025.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
Share