prisoners

NOUN

person jailed for crime; person kept against his or her will

Synonyms

STRONGEST

captive convict detainee hostage

STRONG

con culprit internee jailbird lag lifer loser tough yardbird

WEAK

chain gang member

Example Sentences

Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.

She was especially worried about mothers in prison, as well as older and sick political prisoners.

From Barron's • Jun. 26, 2026

But the Viasna rights group counts 852 political prisoners still behind bars Belarus.

From Barron's • Jun. 26, 2026

The war ended in 1945, but questions surrounding reparations, expellees, prisoners of war and borders would complicate relations between Moscow and the two Germanies for years.

From The Wall Street Journal • Jun. 25, 2026

There’s no serious argument that these state officials were blind to the consequences that might come from violating the rights of the prisoners they’re in charge of.

From Slate • Jun. 23, 2026

The other guards and even some of the prisoners laughed.

From "The Hiding Place" by Corrie ten Boom