prisoner

noun

pris·​on·​er ˈpriz-nər 

ˈpri-zᵊn-ər

1

: a person deprived of liberty and kept under involuntary restraint, confinement, or custody

especially : one on trial or in prison

2

: someone restrained as if in prison

a prisoner of her own conscience

see also:

take-no-prisoners take no prisoners

Synonyms of prisoner

• captive
• capture

Examples of prisoner in a Sentence

He was captured by rebel forces and kept as their prisoner for several months before they set him free.

The families were held prisoner for four days.

Recent Examples on the Web

Saab was extradited from Cape Verde to Miami in October 2021, but President Joe Biden granted him clemency in December 2023 as part of a prisoner exchange that secured the release of Americans held in Venezuela. — Antonio María Delgado, Miami Herald, 12 Oct. 2026

In Season 2, after winning an award for his investigation, Raybon sets his sights on another scandal — the disappearance of a prisoner — and his father, played by Tommy Lee Jones, pops up, too. — Shivani Gonzalez, New York Times, 12 Oct. 2026

Through the accounts of victims, friends and family, journalists and police, the series examines the dangerous prisoners. — Jesse Whittock, Deadline, 12 Oct. 2026

When seven prisoners break out of the camp, Fahrenberg, the commandant, has the trees shorn of their branches and turned into crosses. — Alex Ross, New Yorker, 12 Oct. 2026

Word History

First Known Use

14th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Phrases Containing prisoner

• co-prisoner
• political prisoner
• prisoner of conscience
• prisoner of war
• prisoner's base
• take (someone) prisoner

Kids Definition

prisoner

noun

pris·​on·​er ˈpriz-nər 

-ᵊn-ər

: a person who has been captured or locked up

Legal Definition

prisoner

noun

pris·​on·​er

: a person deprived of liberty and kept under involuntary restraint, confinement, or custody

especially : one under arrest, awaiting trial, on trial, or serving a prison sentence