parole

¹ American  

[puh-rohl] / pəˈroʊl /

noun

1. Penology.

   1. the conditional release of a person from prison prior to the end of the maximum sentence imposed.

   2. such release or its duration.

   3. an official document authorizing such a release.

2. Military.

   1. the promise, usually written, of a prisoner of war, that if released they either will return to custody at a specified time or will not again take up arms against their captors.

   2. (formerly) any password given by authorized personnel in passing by a guard.

3. word of honor given or pledged.

4. (in U.S. immigration laws) the temporary admission of non-U.S. citizens into the United States for emergency reasons or on grounds considered in the public interest, as authorized by and at the discretion of the attorney general.

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verb (used with object)

paroled, paroling

1. to place or release on parole.

2. to admit (a non-U.S. citizen) into the United States for emergency reasons or on grounds considered in the public interest.

   An increased number of Hungarian refugees were paroled into the United States.

adjective

1. of or relating to parole or parolees.

   a parole record.

parole ² American  

[pa-rawl] / paˈrɔl /

noun

French.

1. language as manifested in the actual utterances produced by speakers of a language (langue ).

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parole British  

/ pəˈrəʊl, pəˌrəʊˈliː /

noun

1. 1. the freeing of a prisoner before his sentence has expired, on the condition that he is of good behaviour

   2. the duration of such conditional release

2. a promise given by a prisoner, as to be of good behaviour if granted liberty or partial liberty

3. a variant spelling of parol

4. military a password

5. linguistics language as manifested in the individual speech acts of particular speakers Compare langue performance competence

6. 1. conditionally released from detention

   2. informal (of a person) under scrutiny, esp for a recurrence of an earlier shortcoming

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verb

1. to place (a person) on parole

Other Word Forms

• parolable adjective
• parolee noun
• unparolable adjective
• unparoled adjective

Etymology

Origin of parole

First recorded in 1610–20; from Middle French, short for parole d'honneur “word of honor”. See parol

Explanation

If you're in prison, after serving a few years you might be let out on parole, a promise to be good and check in regularly. Parole comes from the French for "word," and means "word of honor." You'll most frequently hear it in relation to prisoners, who promise to fulfill certain conditions in return for an early release from jail. When the officials are trying to decide whether a prisoner is ready for parole, they have a parole hearing. Parole can also mean "password." If you're part of an underground revolutionary group, you'll need a parole to help keep your meetings secret. Just say the word at the door, and they'll let you in.

Example Sentences

Danette Meyers said Tuesday’s plea means Heaps will be eligible for parole in 2028 with time served.

From Los Angeles Times • Apr. 14, 2026

If convicted in either court he faces life imprisonment without parole.

From Barron's • Apr. 3, 2026

The family’s lawyers say they have not been able to access the care they need for their daughter in Mexico, and they have applied for humanitarian parole to return.

From Salon • Mar. 26, 2026

Read this excellent Andrew McCarthy piece on the problems with terror-related prosecutions, sentences, parole and supervision.

From The Wall Street Journal • Mar. 18, 2026

There were older, hard-time prisoners close to parole, and their detail was to come and clean the cells and circulate books and magazines for you to read.

From "Born a Crime: Stories from a South African Childhood" by Trevor Noah

Related Words

• let out
• liberate
• pardon