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.

Zaghari-Ratcliffe said she started distributing the fabric among her fellow prisoners, "because everyone wanted to have a piece of liberty that they didn't have".

From BBC • May 30, 2026

These many rules and restrictions block falsely convicted state prisoners from receiving relief—not only those sentenced to death or convicted on terrorism charges.

From Slate • May 29, 2026

"All prisoners and detainees are held in accordance with the law, with respect for their fundamental rights under the supervision of professional and trained prison staff," a spokesperson said.

From Barron's • May 22, 2026

For the families of the incarcerated, this original debut suggests, freedom can be as elusive as it is for the prisoners.

From The Wall Street Journal • May 22, 2026

The stronger prisoners hauled buckets of water from the lake.

From "The Hiding Place" by Corrie ten Boom