parole

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parole

/pəˈɹəʊl/ UK
[p(ʰ)əˈɹəʊɫ] UK
/pəˈɹoʊl/ Canada, US
[pʰəˈɹʷoʊɫ] Canada, US
[pʰɹ̩ˈoʊɫ] Canada, US
/pəˈɹəʉl/ Australia
[pəˈɹəʉɫ] Australia
[pəˈɹɐʉɫ] Australia
/pəˈɹɐʉl/ New Zealand
[pəˈɹɐʉɫ] New Zealand

Rhymes with -əʊl

Where it comes from

Borrowed from Middle French parole (“word, formal promise”), from Old French parole, from Late Latin parabola (“speech”), from Ancient Greek παραβολή (parabolḗ). Doublet of parabola, parable, and palaver.

noun paroles

uncountable, usually, with on Originally, one's oath or word of honour, given as a condition of release from custody; now specifically, describing the release of a former prisoner under certain conditions, especially the promise of good behaviour. He will be on parole for nearly two more years.
uncountable, usually Conditional release of a prisoner (now especially before the end of a custodial sentence), or the term or state of such release; the system governing such releases. A Minnesota woman who killed her 6-year-old son will now spend the rest of her life in prison without the possibility of parole.
historical, uncountable, usually A word of honor, especially given by a prisoner of war, to not engage in combat if released. This man had forfeited his military parole.
archaic, uncountable, usually A watchword or code phrase; (military) a password given only to officers, distinguished from the countersign, which is given to all guards. ‘Classical quotation is the parole of literary men all over the world.’
uncountable, usually Language in use, as opposed to language as a system.
US, uncountable, usually The permission for a foreigner who does not meet the technical requirements for a visa to be allowed to enter the U.S. on humanitarian grounds.
alternative, uncountable, usually Alternative form of parol

verb paroles · paroling · paroled

transitive To release (a prisoner) on the understanding that s/he checks in regularly and obeys the law. Whitelaw was allowed to continue to San Francisco. There, INS officials assigned Whitelaw a temporary status for "deferred examination," and "paroled" him into the U.S., permitting him to stay for his planned five-week vacation.
intransitive To be released on parole. I am a gay guy that likes S&M, and am looking for a master out on the streets to write me in here. I would like to parole to NYC some day if I can.

Thesaurus

Closest in meaning: countersign, watchword, password, word, probation, bail, probationary, guardian, district, pardon, conditionally, liberation, controlled, sectoral, release, sector

Translations

Every language

noun law: a release of (a prisoner)

Español	libertad condicional
한국어	가석방 gaseokbang
日本語	仮釈放 kari-shakuhō
中文	假釋 /假释 jiǎshì
Português	condicional, liberdade condicional
Français	libération conditionnelle
Deutsch	bedingte Haftentlassung, Bewährung
Italiano	libertà condizionale, condizionale
Română	eliberare condiționată
Русский	усло́вно-досро́чное освобожде́ние uslóvno-dosróčnoje osvoboždénije, УДО́ UDÓ, досро́чное освобожде́ние dosróčnoje osvoboždénije, усло́вное освобожде́ние uslóvnoje osvoboždénije

noun state or amount of release

日本語	仮釈放 kari-shussho

verb to release

Español	ser puesto en libertad condicional

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Cite this

MLA

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

APA

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

Chicago

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

BibTeX

@misc{parole_2026,
  title = {parole},
  howpublished = {Wiktionary, via Micwyn},
  year = {2026},
  url = {https://micwyn.com/word/parole},
  urldate = {2026-11-06}
}