prisoner

[ priz-uh-ner, priz-ner ]

noun

1. a person who is confined in prison or kept in custody, especially as the result of legal process.
2. prisoner of war.
3. a person or thing that is deprived of liberty or kept in restraint.

prisoner

/ ˈprɪzənə /

noun

1. 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
2. a person confined by any of various restraints

   we are all prisoners of time

3. take no prisoners informal.
   to be uncompromising and resolute in one's actions
4. take someone prisoner
   to capture and hold someone as a prisoner, esp as a prisoner of war

Word History and Origins

Origin of prisoner¹

1300–50; Middle English < Anglo-French. See prison, -er ²

Example Sentences

"A captor attempts to feed his prisoner to a monster, and there are other scenes of threat involving bombs, hostages and a hero being frozen alive."

From BBC

He has struggled with addiction and like many other IPP prisoners who have lost hope, his mental health is a constant worry for his family.

From BBC

"I walked past a prisoner the other day who shouted, 'sing us a song'."

From BBC

Tatsiana called then for more international pressure to secure her sister's release, and the freedom of the many other political prisoners in Belarus.

From BBC

On the campaign trail, Trump repeatedly said he would pardon the rioters, whom he has called “patriots” and “political prisoners”.

From BBC

Related Words

• captive
• convict
• detainee
• hostage