Prisoner Definition, Usage & Examples

Meaning 1：person held in prison (prisoner)

prisoner 🔊

/ˈprɪzənər/

A person who is locked up in prison because they broke the law or was captured in a conflict.

person held in prison 🔊

➕

/ˈpɜːrsən hɛld ɪn ˈprɪzən/

An individual who is legally confined to a prison as punishment for a crime or as a captive in a conflict.

📁 Category：Social Roles 🔖 Level：elementary

📘 Details & Usage

📖 Root Explanation

From Latin 'prehensio' (seizing) via Old French 'prisoun' + -er (person).

💡 Mnemonic

Think 'prison' + 'er' = a person inside prison. Picture iron bars closing.

📖 Example

While visiting the old castle, we saw the tiny cell where a prisoner would have spent years with only a small window to the outside world. 🔊 While visiting the old castle, we saw the tiny cell where a prisoner would have spent years with only a small window to the outside world.

🔗 Collocations

prisoner of war – A combatant captured by the enemy during war.

political prisoner – A person imprisoned for their political beliefs or activities.

prisoner's dilemma – A game theory scenario illustrating why individuals fail to cooperate.

🔄 Synonyms

inmate (n.) – A person confined to an institution such as a prison or mental hospital.

convict (n.) – A person found guilty of a crime and serving a prison sentence.

captive (n.) – A person who is held against their will, often in a conflict.

🚫 Antonyms

free person (n.) – An individual who is not confined or incarcerated.

liberated individual (n.) – Someone who has been set free from captivity or imprisonment.

🌱 Derivatives

imprison (v.) – To put or keep someone in prison.

imprisonment (n.) – The state of being confined in prison.

prison (n.) – A building where people are kept as punishment for a crime.

📖 Cultural Story

Originates from Latin 'prehendere' (to seize). In medieval England, prisoners were held for ransom or trial, and the term evolved through Old French 'prisoun'.