prisoner
Americannoun
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a person who is confined in prison or kept in custody, especially as the result of legal process.
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a person or thing that is deprived of liberty or kept in restraint.
noun
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a person deprived of liberty and kept in prison or some other form of custody as a punishment for a crime, while awaiting trial, or for some other reason
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a person confined by any of various restraints
we are all prisoners of time
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informal to be uncompromising and resolute in one's actions
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to capture and hold someone as a prisoner, esp as a prisoner of war
Etymology
Origin of prisoner
Compare meaning
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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.
Her parents or moshom brought her meals and left them outside her door as if she were a prisoner, but she wasn’t.
From Literature
"Slap them with a small fine if you must but free the prisoners who clearly meant no harm. Be fair and lenient with people who genuinely support the UAE. Let it be over," she wrote.
From BBC
Determined to set things right, Kornev insists on seeing the prisoner, Stepniak, only to discover how difficult such a seemingly straightforward request proves to be.
From Los Angeles Times
Taylor said the song was inspired by performing concerts for prisoners, some of his favorite gigs.
From Los Angeles Times
Belarus has released dozens of prisoners in recent months, largely due to US efforts, including 250 earlier this month.
From Barron's
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
