prisoner
English · Thesaurus
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prisoner
- /ˈpɹɪzənə/ UK
- /ˈpɹɪznə/ UK
- /ˈpɹɪzənɚ/ Canada, US
- /ˈpɹɪznɚ/ Canada, US
- /ˈpɹɪzənə/ Australia
- /ˈpɹɪznə/ Australia
Where it comes from
From Middle English prisoner, from Old French prisonier (compare Medieval Latin prisōnārius), equivalent to prison + -er.
noun prisoners
-
A person incarcerated in a prison, while on trial or serving a sentence.
Two other prisoners were staying in the same cell as him.
Similar: jailbird
- Any person held against their will. And gainſt the General we will lift our ſwords / And either lanch his greedie thirſting throat, / Or take him priſoner, and his chaine ſhall ſerue / For Manackles, till he be ranſom’d home.
- A person who is or feels confined or trapped by a situation or a set of circumstances. I am no longer a prisoner to fear, for I am a child of God.
Similar: inmate, prisoner, guest of Her Majesty
Thesaurus
Closest in meaning: captive, imprisonment, inmate, penitentiary, prison, jail, detention, captivity, detainee, ex-con, defendant, arrested, thrall, abducted, hostage, custody
noun
Similar: inmate, prisoner, guest of Her Majesty
Translations
Every language
noun person incarcerated in a prison
| Español | prisionero, preso |
|---|---|
| 한국어 | 죄수 joesu, 죄인 joein, 수감자 sugamja, 재소자 jaesoja, 기결수 gigyeolsu |
| 日本語 | 囚人 shūjin, 捕虜 horyo |
| 中文 | 囚犯 qiúfàn |
| हिन्दी | बँधुआ bandhuā, बंदी bandī, क़ैदी qaidī, बद्धक baddhak |
| Kiswahili | mahabusu, mfungwa |
| Português | prisioneiro, preso |
| Français | prisonnier, prisonnière |
| Deutsch | Gefangener, Gefangene, Häftling, Strafgefangener, Gefängnisinsasse |
| Italiano | prigioniero, prigioniera |
| Ελληνικά | κρατούμενος kratoúmenos, φυλακισμένος fylakisménos |
| Română | pușcăriaș, prizonier |
| Русский | заключённый zaključónnyj, заключённая zaključónnaja, ареста́нт arestánt, ареста́нтка arestántka |
| Tiếng Việt | tù nhân |
| العربية | سَجِين sajīn, سَجِينَة sajīna, مَحْبُوس maḥbūs, مَحْبُوسَة maḥbūsa |
| עברית | אָסִיר asír, אֲסִירָה asirá |
noun figurative: any person held against his or her will
| Español | prisionero, preso |
|---|---|
| 日本語 | とりこ toriko |
| Português | prisioneiro, preso |
| Français | prisonnier, prisonnière |
| Deutsch | Gefangener, Gefangene |
| Ελληνικά | κρατούμενος kratoúmenos, φυλακισμένος fylakisménos, δέσμιος désmios |
| Русский | пле́нный plénnyj, пле́нная f esp. POW plénnaja, пле́нник plénnik, пле́нница plénnica, у́зник úznik, у́зница úznica |
Talk about this word "prisoner." Wiktionary, via Micwyn, micwyn.com/word/prisoner. Accessed 6 Nov. 2026. prisoner. (n.d.). In Wiktionary, via Micwyn. Retrieved November 6, 2026, from https://micwyn.com/word/prisoner "prisoner." Wiktionary, via Micwyn. Accessed November 6, 2026. https://micwyn.com/word/prisoner.Cite this
@misc{prisoner_2026,
title = {prisoner},
howpublished = {Wiktionary, via Micwyn},
year = {2026},
url = {https://micwyn.com/word/prisoner},
urldate = {2026-11-06}
}
