jailbreak

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jailbreak

/ˈd͡ʒeɪlˌbɹeɪk/

Where it comes from

From jail + break.

noun jailbreaks · jail break

An escape from prison.
A modification to a closed platform's technical restrictions that enables installation or execution of software (or OS modification) the platform's original design was intended to prevent. Typical devices are iPhones and game consoles.
A prompt to a large language model which frees it from its ethical restrictions. DAN has become a canonical example of what's known as a "jailbreak" — a creative way to bypass the safeguards OpenAI built in to keep ChatGPT from spouting bigotry, propaganda or, say, the instructions to run a successful online phishing scam. From charming to disturbing, these jailbreaks reveal the
A rule present in some ice hockey leagues that causes a penalty to end if the short-handed team scores.
A goal scored in this situation.

verb jailbreaks · jailbreaking · jailbroke · jailbroken

To escape from prison.
transitive To modify the firmware of an electronic device, especially a mobile phone, in order to remove restrictions that prevent it from running unofficial software. Unofficially, it has been possible to “Jailbreak” iOS and gain access to the underlying Unix and kernel environment, but this voids the warranty.
Similar: root
To free a large language model from its ethical restrictions using prompt injection. ChatGPT is far from perfect. Twitter has been flooded with examples of "jailbreaking" ChatGPT — that is, tricking it into hallucinations or misalignment.
To score while short-handed in a league with the "jailbreak" rule.

Thesaurus

Closest in meaning: breakout, break, gaolbreak, prison-breaking, prisonbreak, getaway, escape, flee, evasion, avoidance, defection, flight, break-out, jail break, prison break, jailing

Translations

Every language

noun escape from prison

Español	fuga, huida de cárcel
한국어	탈옥 tarok
日本語	脱獄
中文	越獄 /越狱 yuèyù
Français	évasion
Deutsch	Gefängnisausbruch
Русский	побег pobeg

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MLA

"jailbreak." Wiktionary, via Micwyn, micwyn.com/word/jailbreak. Accessed 6 Nov. 2026.

APA

jailbreak. (n.d.). In Wiktionary, via Micwyn. Retrieved November 6, 2026, from https://micwyn.com/word/jailbreak

Chicago

"jailbreak." Wiktionary, via Micwyn. Accessed November 6, 2026. https://micwyn.com/word/jailbreak.

BibTeX

@misc{jailbreak_2026,
  title = {jailbreak},
  howpublished = {Wiktionary, via Micwyn},
  year = {2026},
  url = {https://micwyn.com/word/jailbreak},
  urldate = {2026-11-06}
}