Synonyms of behind bars

behind bars

phrase

as in imprisoned

taken and held prisoner

The con artist was behind bars for printing fake checks.

Synonyms & Similar Words

• imprisoned
• jailed
• arrested
• captive
• confined
• captured
• incarcerated
• interned
• kidnapped
• apprehended
• bound
• caught
• trapped
• occupied
• enslaved
• abducted
• subdued
• ensnared
• subjugated
• indentured

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

• free
• released
• delivered
• freed
• unrestrained
• liberated
• unconfined
• emancipated
• paroled
• enfranchised

Example Sentences

Recent Examples of behind bars

In a report published on Tuesday, four men — apparently in the same unit as Combs — told NBC the Grammy winner was enjoying a luxurious lifestyle despite his being behind bars. — Jessica Schladebeck, New York Daily News, 1 Oct. 2026

While the Watts cases typically involved brief stints in jail for smaller crimes, each of the 16 Guevara cases in the package involves murder, large amounts of time behind bars and a complex set of facts. — Jake Sheridan, Chicago Tribune, 1 Oct. 2026

The 56-year-old has been getting massages and enjoying Hennessy behind bars, while having special meals like pizza and empanadas prepared for him. — Michael Saponara, Billboard, 30 Sep. 2026

Sentence lengths have increased in that time, keeping people behind bars for longer and outstripping the number of new prisons being built, even as overall crime rates have fallen during the last decade. — Issy Ronald, CNN Money, 30 Sep. 2026