prisonnoun
uk/ˈprɪz.ən/us/ˈprɪz.ən/B1 [ C or U ] a building where criminals are forced to live as a punishment:
Conditions in the prison are said to be appalling.
He's spent a lot of time in prison.
She went to/was sent to prison for six months.
It was a maximum-security prison (= intended to be especially difficult to escape from).
They should put him in prison and throw away the key!
a prison cell/sentence/guard
See also
penitentiary
[ U ] the system of keeping people in prisons:
the prison system
Do you think prison works?
Prison (= the time he had spent in prison) hadn't changed him at all.
[ C ] a situation or relationship from which it is difficult to escape:
She felt that her marriage had become a prison.
More examples
- He was sent to prison for a crime that he didn't commit.
- He was sent to a high-security prison.
- If you spend any time in prison, you're labelled as a criminal for the rest of your life.
- The release from prison of two of the terrorists has provoked a public outcry.
- He served a year in prison and was then let out on probation.
Thesaurus: synonyms and related words
Prisons & parts of prisons
- approved school
- Bastille
- boot camp
- borstal
- brig
- clink
- gaoler
- halfway house
- HMP
- house of correction
- jail
- matron
- prison camp
- protective custody
- remand centre
- screw
- seclusion room
- slop
- straightjacket
- straitjacket
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You can also find related words, phrases, and synonyms in the topics:
Putting people in prison
Difficult situations and unpleasant experiences