Jail Meaning: Definition, Examples & Usage

Meaning 1：prison (jail)

jail 🔊

/dʒeɪl/

A place where people are locked up as a legal punishment, often for breaking serious laws.

Modern jail building exterior with high walls and barbed wire

prison 🔊

➕

/ˈprɪz.ən/

A building used for detaining individuals who have been convicted of crimes or are awaiting trial, typically operated by local authorities.

📁 Category：Buildings & Places 🔖 Level：beginner

📘 Details & Usage

📖 Root Explanation

From Latin 'caveola' (little cage) through Old French 'jaiole' to English 'jail'.

💡 Mnemonic

Think 'jail' sounds like 'cage'—both hold things inside. 'J' for 'just' as in 'just locked up'.

📖 Example

The judge sentenced the thief to five years in jail. 🔊 The judge sentenced the thief to five years in jail.

🔗 Collocations

be sent to jail – to be ordered to spend time in prison as punishment

escape from jail – to break out of prison

jail time – the duration of imprisonment

🔄 Synonyms

prison (n.) – A large, often state or federal facility for confining criminals, typically for longer sentences.

penitentiary (n.) – A prison for people convicted of serious crimes, often with high security.

lockup (n.) – A temporary holding cell in a police station or courthouse.

🚫 Antonyms

freedom (n.) – The state of being at liberty, not confined.

release (n.) – The act of being set free from custody.

🌱 Derivatives

jailer (n.) – A person who guards a jail.

jailbird (n.) – A person who has been imprisoned many times; a habitual criminal.

jailbreak (n.) – An escape from prison.

📖 Cultural Story

Derived from Latin 'caveola' (little cage), passing through Old French 'jaiole'. In English, 'jail' and 'gaol' coexisted; 'jail' is now standard in American English, while 'gaol' is largely obsolete in British English.