JAIL Synonyms: 96 Similar and Opposite Words

jail 1 of 2

noun

ˈjāl

Definition of jail

as in prison

a place of confinement for persons held in lawful custody sentenced to three years in jail for his crime

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Antonyms & Near Antonyms

outside

jail

2 of 2

verb

as in to imprison

to put in or as if in prison threatened to jail the punks if they so much as jaywalked

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Antonyms & Near Antonyms

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 jail

Noun

Los Angeles County prosecutors made a deal with Jackson earlier this year that would send him to jail for 90 days and require him to serve two years of probation. — James Queally, Los Angeles Times, 2 July 2026 An anti-Israel protester who pleaded guilty to manslaughter in the death of a pro-Israel demonstrator in California was sentenced to one year in county jail this week. — Anders Hagstrom, FOXNews.com, 2 July 2026

Verb

The suspect was jailed at Clark County Detention Center and awaiting extradition from Nevada to Utah, according to the outlet. — Kelsie Cairns, FOXNews.com, 26 June 2026 Also contentious was last year’s jailing of former Trade Minister Thomas Lembong over sugar import permits a decade ago despite no evidence of personal financial gain. — Chandra Asmara, Fortune, 30 June 2026 See All Example Sentences for jail

Recent Examples of Synonyms for jail

Noun

The pair, who were detained in March, had already spent four months in prison prior to the punishment, which ultimately reduced their sentence from 25 lashes to 21, the AP said.

— Bonny Chu, FOXNews.com, 3 July 2026
Taylor, 30, now faces a potential sentence of life in prison.

— Charna Flam, PEOPLE, 2 July 2026

Definition of prison

Verb

He was imprisoned for three years in 2001 for inciting subversion of state power.

— ABC News, ABC News, 29 June 2026
Xiaobo worked relentlessly as an advocate for democracy and reform in China, for which he was arrested and imprisoned multiple times; he was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize in 2010.

— USA Today, USA Today, 29 June 2026

Definition of imprison

Noun

Two years ago, a judge freed Anthony Bailey after 27 years in the federal penitentiary, giving him a second chance at life.

— Carrie Johnson, NPR, 23 June 2026
After a federal jury voted to convict him in early 2024, Hernández was sent to a notorious high-security penitentiary in West Virginia to serve his time.

— Keri Blakinger, ProPublica, 11 June 2026

Definition of penitentiary

Verb

The goal is to eventually close the island to incarcerated individuals in a decarceration plan, replacing it with four other jails in Manhattan, The Bronx, Queens and Brooklyn.

— Amethyst Martinez, USA Today, 30 June 2026
Caleb Crawford was incarcerated in 2016 after indecently touching his cousin, a 12-year-old girl at the time.

— Rachel Royster, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 29 June 2026

Definition of incarcerate

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jags

jail

jailbird

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“Jail.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/jail. Accessed 7 Jul. 2026.

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Synonyms of jail

noun

verb

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