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

Synonyms & Similar Words

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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 Her jumpsuit is a couture twist on the cartoonish striped getup of a jailbird. Jemal Polson, CNN Money, 8 May 2025 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 Plot: Homer acquires Snake’s luxurious hair after the jailbird is sent to the electric chair. Joshua Kurp, Vulture, 4 Nov. 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
Recent Examples of Synonyms for jailbird
Noun
  • The negotiations resulted in an agreement for a large prisoner swap but not a cease-fire.
    Liubov Sholudko, New York Times, 20 May 2025
  • The Coproduction Office title follows an idealistic young Soviet prosecutor who comes across a letter written by a prisoner.
    Ed Meza, Variety, 19 May 2025
Noun
  • The inmates escaped in the early morning hours of May 16.
    Jeanine Santucci, USA Today, 25 May 2025
  • According to a prison menu obtained by PEOPLE, Combs and the other inmates at MDC will eat a normal, rotating Monday meal, which will consist of fruit, cereal, skim milk and a breakfast cake to start their day.
    Charlotte Phillipp, People.com, 25 May 2025
Noun
  • Since lawmakers made the change retroactive, many convicts have petitioned for reconsideration and have been able to gain freedom.
    City News Service, Oc Register, 29 Apr. 2025
  • In a December call, the Pope lobbied Biden to soften death-row sentences for convicts.
    Philip Elliott, Time, 21 Apr. 2025
Noun
  • What are the pros and cons of 5+11 and how does that work?
    Matt Murschel, The Orlando Sentinel, 31 May 2025
  • Pros & cons One of the longest intro-APR offers for balance transfers No annual fee No rewards No welcome bonus More details Balance transfer fee There is an intro balance transfer fee of 3% of each transfer (minimum $5) completed within the first 4 months of account opening.
    Ryley Amond, CNBC, 29 May 2025

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Cite this Entry

“Jailbird.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/jailbird. Accessed 4 Jun. 2025.

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