What does prisoner mean?

Definitions for prisoner
ˈprɪz ə nər, ˈprɪz nərpris·on·er

This dictionary definitions page includes all the possible meanings, example usage and translations of the word prisoner.

Princeton's WordNet

  1. prisoner, captivenoun

    a person who is confined; especially a prisoner of war

Wiktionary

  1. prisonernoun

    A person incarcerated in a prison, while on trial or serving a sentence.

  2. prisonernoun

    Any person held against his or her will.

Samuel Johnson's Dictionary

  1. Prisonernoun

    Etymology: prisonnier, Fr.

    Cesar’s ill-erected tower,
    To whose flint bosom my condemned lord
    Is doomed a prisoner. William Shakespeare, Rich. II.

    The most pernicious infection, next the plague, is the smell of the jail, when prisoners have been long and close, and nastily kept. Francis Bacon.

    He that is tied with one slender string, such as one resolute struggle would break, he is prisoner only to his own sloth, and who will pity his thraldom. Decay of Piety.

    A prisoner is troubled, that he cannot go whither he would; and he that is at large is troubled, that he does not know whither to go. Roger L'Estrange.

    So oft as homeward I from her depart,
    I go like one that having lost the field,
    Is prisoner led away with heavy heart. Edmund Spenser.

    There succeeded an absolute victory for the English, the taking of the Spanish general d’Ocampo prisoner, with the loss of few of the English. Francis Bacon.

    He yielded on my word,
    And as my pris’ner, I restore his sword. Dryden.

    Tribune, a guard to seize the empress straight,
    Secure her person pris’ner to the state. Dryden.

Wikipedia

  1. Prisoner

    A prisoner (also known as an inmate or detainee) is a person who is deprived of liberty against their will. This can be by confinement, captivity, or forcible restraint. The term applies particularly to serving a prison sentence in a prison.

ChatGPT

  1. prisoner

    A prisoner is an individual who has been confined or imprisoned due to being convicted or suspected of committing a crime. This confinement, generally in a prison or similar correctional facility, restricts the individual's freedoms as a form of punishment and societal protection. The period of imprisonment can vary, based on the severity of the crime committed and the legal sentencing guidelines in the relevant jurisdiction.

Webster Dictionary

  1. Prisonernoun

    one who is confined in a prison

  2. Prisonernoun

    a person under arrest, or in custody, whether in prison or not; a person held in involuntary restraint; a captive; as, a prisoner at the bar of a court

  3. Etymology: [F. prisonnier.]

Wikidata

  1. Prisoner

    Prisoner is an Australian soap opera that is set in the Wentworth Detention Centre, a fictional women's prison. In The United States and United Kingdom it was billed as Prisoner: Cell Block H, and in Canada as Caged Women. The series was produced by the Reg Grundy Organisation in Australia, and aired on Network Ten, running 692 episodes from 27 February 1979 to 11 December 1986, after originally only devised as a 16 part mini-series. The series was inspired by British television drama Within These Walls, which had achieved moderate success in Australia. Prisoner producers even approached Googie Withers of Within These Walls to play the role of Prisoner's governor, an offer that she declined. Because of an injunction brought by UK-based ATV, which considered the title too similar to their own series, The Prisoner, it was originally not possible for overseas broadcasters to screen the show under the Prisoner title, which necessitated a name change. In March 2012, it was announced that the series would be "reimagined" on Foxtel in a new version entitled Wentworth.

Matched Categories

British National Corpus

  1. Nouns Frequency

    Rank popularity for the word 'prisoner' in Nouns Frequency: #985

Usage in printed sourcesFrom: 

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How to say prisoner in sign language?

Numerology

  1. Chaldean Numerology

    The numerical value of prisoner in Chaldean Numerology is: 6

  2. Pythagorean Numerology

    The numerical value of prisoner in Pythagorean Numerology is: 6

Examples of prisoner in a Sentence

  1. Dawoud Shehab:

    Israel is trying to divert attention from the defeat that it suffered in the face of the determination of the hero prisoner, Mohammed Allan.

  2. Robert A. Heinlein, "If This Goes On":

    Each man is his own prisoner, in solitary confinement for life.

  3. Paul Wright:

    You hire a tax professional for tax advice, you hire a lawyer for legal advice, so of course you're going to hire an ex-prisoner for prison advice, it's all about working the system.

  4. Roy Jones Jr.:

    I’m not a politician, i don’t do all that. But if I can get her home, and they say they’re willing to do a prisoner swap and somebody here is willing to do that – then let’s make it happen.

  5. Pamela Anderson:

    It’s crazy that Julian is still being held as a political prisoner — after the UN has stated (and recently for a second time) that there is no reason for his detention and has ordered that the UK and Sweden release him, julian is an editor and a publisher.

Popularity rank by frequency of use

prisoner#1#9907#10000

Translations for prisoner

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"prisoner." Definitions.net. STANDS4 LLC, 2025. Web. 13 Feb. 2025. <https://www.definitions.net/definition/prisoner>.

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