prisoner

noun

ˈpriz-nər How to pronounce prisoner (audio)
Definition of prisonernext
as in captive
one that has been taken and held in confinement the prisoners were fed only bread and water twice a day

Synonyms & Similar Words

Relevance

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 prisoner The river has risen again and again, and in 1993, the Mississippi did not go over the levee, at first, but under it, burrowing a tunnel like a prisoner seeking freedom. — Andrew Carter, Chicago Tribune, 5 July 2026 It’s loosely based on an actual Chilean colony where German expatriates tortured prisoners at the behest of General Pinochet. — Jordan Hoffman, Entertainment Weekly, 1 July 2026 Bates held one of the Germans prisoner after the incident; the latter was released only after negotiations with a West German diplomat, a sequence of events that Bates considered further validation of Sealand’s sovereignty. — Encyclopedia Britannica, 30 June 2026 Keiko Fujimori promised to build four prisons and another similar to El Salvador’s Terrorism Confinement Center known as the CECOT, and to force prisoners to work in the prisons. — ABC News, 3 July 2026 See All Example Sentences for prisoner
Recent Examples of Synonyms for prisoner
  1. captive
  2. capture
Noun
  • The hijackers had threatened to execute the 106 captives if their demands were not met.
    — Anne Neuberger, The Atlantic, 3 July 2026
  • It is thought to be the only slave revolution in history where the former captives overthrew their rulers and went on to govern the country themselves.
    — Nick Miller, New York Times, 12 June 2026
Definition of captive
Noun
  • The site commemorates the original town of Kaskaskia and its role in supporting George Rogers Clark’s capture of it during the American Revolution.
    — Andrew Carter, Chicago Tribune, 5 July 2026
  • On Friday, Putin visited the Russian military headquarters directing the war in Ukraine and received a report on the capture of the city of Kostyantynivka, after weeks of intense street battles.
    — ABC News, ABC News, 4 July 2026
Definition of capture

Browse Nearby Words

prison camps
prisoner
prisoners
See all Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

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

Copy Citation

More from Merriam-Webster on prisoner

Nglish: Translation of prisoner for Spanish Speakers

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!

Popular in Grammar & Usage

See More

Is that lie 'bald-faced' or 'bold-faced'?

'A' or 'an'? What about before 'h'? An Indefinite Article Guide

Why is '-ed' sometimes pronounced at the end of a word?

Commonly Misspelled Words

How to Use Em Dashes (—), En Dashes (–) , and Hyphens (-)
See More

Popular in Wordplay

See More

14 Phobias You Probably Haven't Heard Of

The Longest Long Words List

One-Word Oxymorons: Bittersweet, Spendthrift, and More

Ten Words Ending with a Silent ‘T’

12 Lovely and Unusual Words for the Natural World
See More

Popular

See More

Is that lie 'bald-faced' or 'bold-faced'?

14 Phobias You Probably Haven't Heard Of

The Longest Long Words List
See More

Games & Quizzes

See All
Play Quordle: Guess all four words in a limited number of tries. Each of your guesses must be a real 5-letter word.
Quordle Can you solve 4 words at once?
Play Blossom: Solve today's spelling word game by finding as many words as you can using just 7 letters. Longer words score more points.
Blossom Pick the best words!
Play Missing Letter: a crossword with a twist. Each of the 25 puzzle words start with a different letter of the alphabet. Which letter is missing?
The Missing Letter A daily crossword with a twist
hangman letters and game
Hangman Lightning Round Figure out which word fits in the blanks.
See All