Prison

/ˈprɪzən/

Meaning & Definition

noun

A building where people are legally held as a punishment for crimes they have committed or while awaiting trial.

After the trial, he was sentenced to five years in prison.

A place or situation affording no escape; a state of confinement.

He felt as if his job was a prison, trapping him in a monotonous routine.

The condition of being imprisoned.

Her imprisonment was a stark reminder of the dangers of political dissent.

Middle English 'prison', from Old French 'prison', from Latin 'prensio' meaning 'to seize'.

privilege of prison

A limited set of rights granted to inmates.

prison break

An escape from a prison.

prison sentence

A punishment assigned by a court of law.

inmate

A person confined to an institution such as a prison.

warden

The person in charge of a prison.

parole

The conditional release of a prisoner before the full sentence is served.

The big house

He was sent to the big house for robbery.

The clink

I ended up in the clink for a few nights.

Lockup

After the fight, he spent the night in lockup.