Alcatraz

American

[al-kuh-traz] / ˈæl kəˌtræz /

noun

a small island in W California, in San Francisco Bay: site of a U.S. penitentiary 1933–63.

Alcatraz British

/ ˈælkəˌtræz /

noun

an island in W California, in San Francisco Bay: a federal prison until 1963

"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

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.

Alcatraz was originally a naval defence fort, before being converted first to a military prison and then to a federal prison in the 1930s after being taken over by the Department of Justice.

From BBC • Apr. 4, 2026

The budget request is seeking money "to rebuild Alcatraz as a state-of-the-art secure prison facility", with funds covering the first year of costs.

From BBC • Apr. 4, 2026

“This is a terrific facility; it needs a lot of work, but no one has been known to escape from Alcatraz and survive.”

From Los Angeles Times • Apr. 3, 2026

The island fortress entered American cultural lore after a 1962 escape by three inmates, which became an inspiration for the film "Escape from Alcatraz" starring Clint Eastwood.

From Barron's • Apr. 3, 2026

It was a tall, slender man standing behind Delmond Alcatraz.

From "Shadowshaper" by Daniel José Older

Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023