as in captives
one that has been taken and held in confinement
the prisoners were fed only bread and water twice a day
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Recent Examples of prisoners
Now, the island has 10 jails, and can house up to 17,000 prisoners, the city says.
—
Amethyst Martinez, USA Today, 30 Apr. 2026
The amnesty is the second in two weeks, following an earlier one on April 17 when more than 4,500 prisoners were granted amnesty.
—ABC News, 30 Apr. 2026
Ten prisoners housed in the Orleans Justice Center made their escape last spring, maneuvering out of a small hole in a wall and making their way out into the night.
—Devon Sayers, CNN Money, 29 Apr. 2026
Among other problems, the investigation found prisoners were held in filthy and unsafe conditions that violated their constitutional rights.
—CBS News, 29 Apr. 2026
Syrian authorities on Friday arrested Amjad Yousef, a former intelligence officer who appeared in a video leaked four years ago that appears to show him and his comrades executing dozens of blindfolded and shackled prisoners in the Damascus suburb of Tadamon during the civil war.
—Ghaith Alsayed, Los Angeles Times, 26 Apr. 2026
The bill would expand that curriculum to require prisoners to acknowledge the impact and trauma of their crimes.
—Shelly Bradbury, Denver Post, 23 Apr. 2026
Over a 10-year period, eight of those prisoners, or 5%, were disciplined for severe acts of violence, which the prison system defined as causing injuries that required treatment beyond first aid.
—Harriet Ramos, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 22 Apr. 2026
In 2023, the Writers Guild of America appeared to take no prisoners in its contract negotiations.
—Katie Kilkenny, HollywoodReporter, 21 Apr. 2026
Amethyst Martinez, USA Today, 30 Apr. 2026
The amnesty is the second in two weeks, following an earlier one on April 17 when more than 4,500 prisoners were granted amnesty.
—ABC News, 30 Apr. 2026
Ten prisoners housed in the Orleans Justice Center made their escape last spring, maneuvering out of a small hole in a wall and making their way out into the night.
—Devon Sayers, CNN Money, 29 Apr. 2026
Among other problems, the investigation found prisoners were held in filthy and unsafe conditions that violated their constitutional rights.
—CBS News, 29 Apr. 2026
Syrian authorities on Friday arrested Amjad Yousef, a former intelligence officer who appeared in a video leaked four years ago that appears to show him and his comrades executing dozens of blindfolded and shackled prisoners in the Damascus suburb of Tadamon during the civil war.
—Ghaith Alsayed, Los Angeles Times, 26 Apr. 2026
The bill would expand that curriculum to require prisoners to acknowledge the impact and trauma of their crimes.
—Shelly Bradbury, Denver Post, 23 Apr. 2026
Over a 10-year period, eight of those prisoners, or 5%, were disciplined for severe acts of violence, which the prison system defined as causing injuries that required treatment beyond first aid.
—Harriet Ramos, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 22 Apr. 2026
In 2023, the Writers Guild of America appeared to take no prisoners in its contract negotiations.
—Katie Kilkenny, HollywoodReporter, 21 Apr. 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for prisoners
captives
Noun
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The captives come to believe there has been a coup, which is confirmed by the executions.—
Amanda Whiting,
Vulture,
29 Apr. 2026
-
Sports franchises everywhere can be tacky, rapacious, incompetent, extortionate, and otherwise exploitative, but only because their customers, the fans, are essentially captives.—
Zach Helfand,
New Yorker,
23 Apr. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Prisoners.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/prisoners. Accessed 2 May. 2026.
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