as in prisoner
a person convicted as a criminal and serving a prison sentence had spent most of his sorry life as a jailbird in hoosegows across the South

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Example Sentences

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.
Recent Examples of jailbird Becomes a jailbird at a high-security zoo after he’s caught, with the newest Wallace & Gromit film, Vengeance Most Fowl, finding Feathers, all these years later, hell-bent on getting even with the duo who locked him up. Devon Ivie, Vulture, 6 Jan. 2025 When Canton jailbird selectman Chris Albert did six months in prison in 1994 for a hit-and-run homicide, who was his lawyer? A. Judge Auntie Bev B. Meatball Morrissey C. Auntie Bev’s brother D. Adam Lally 2. Howie Carr, Boston Herald, 14 July 2024 Plot: Homer acquires Snake’s luxurious hair after the jailbird is sent to the electric chair. Joshua Kurp, Vulture, 4 Nov. 2024 Movies Review: ‘Joker: Folie á Deux’ pairs two singing jailbirds but skimps on supervillainy Oct. 4, 2024 The movie was expected to fall short of the original’s impressive debut after generating only $7 million in Thursday previews. Christi Carras, Los Angeles Times, 6 Oct. 2024 Twenty years later, an actress named Selma Vaz Dias, who wanted to dramatize Good Morning, Midnight on the radio, found her living in poverty and obscurity in the English countryside with a third husband who also ended an embezzler and a jailbird. Vivian Gornick, The New Republic, 6 Jan. 2023 The jailbird and guard stayed in touch over the phone, according to Lauderdale County Sheriff Rick Singleton. Michael Ruiz, Fox News, 11 May 2022 Rick Flag, who attempts to keep our jailbird antiheroes in line. Clark Collis, EW.com, 22 June 2021
Recent Examples of Synonyms for jailbird
Noun
  • Trump’s order came after President Biden converted the death sentences of 37 of 40 prisoners on death row to sentences of life without parole and after Biden in 2021 issued a pause on executions while a review of related DOJ policies was carried out.
    Molly Crane-Newman, New York Daily News, 1 Apr. 2025
  • Negotiations over those parts of the agreement were supposed to have begun in February after some hostages were freed in exchange for more than 1,000 Palestinian prisoners in Israeli custody.
    Landon Mion, FOXNews.com, 31 Mar. 2025
Noun
  • Erik has helped start at least five programs, including a support group for disabled and elderly inmates.
    Elizabeth Wolfe, CNN Money, 6 Apr. 2025
  • The Arizona Department of Corrections said Wassenaar was moved to a prison in Florence after Friday’s inmate deaths.
    Landon Mion, FOXNews.com, 6 Apr. 2025
Noun
  • Biden also commuted sentences for 37 of 40 convicts on death row in federal prisons, which was largely a policy statement against capital punishment.
    Ron Faucheux, Orlando Sentinel, 19 Jan. 2025
  • Other convicts to turn their lives around athletically include 2010 American League MVP Josh Hamilton and former MLB reliever Matt Bush.
    Ryan Morik, Fox News, 2 Mar. 2025
Noun
  • Explore the pros and cons of advocating for or against prioritizing inclusion in the workplace.
    Simone E. Morris, Forbes.com, 1 Apr. 2025
  • Newsweek spoke to veterinarians to understand the pros and cons of this decision.
    Josh Hammer, MSNBC Newsweek, 1 Apr. 2025

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Cite this Entry

“Jailbird.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/jailbird. Accessed 16 Apr. 2025.

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