prisoners

plural of prisoner
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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Example Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of prisoners Constitutional protections against cruel and unusual punishment prohibit deliberate indifference to prisoners’ medical needs. — Jaquelyn Jahn, The Conversation, 16 Oct. 2026 Offering the Black Panther salute in tribute to the six Black prisoners found dead at Attica Prison, during the funeral held in Brooklyn. — Literary Hub, 16 Oct. 2026 Flores is accused of participating in decisions to torture prisoners and helping oversee a network of officials responsible for detaining and interrogating people perceived as threats to the government. — Antonio María Delgado, Miami Herald, 15 Oct. 2026 The potential release of thousands of prisoners, some argue, is not enough to repair the damage of their prolonged imprisonment. — Landon Mion, FOXNews.com, 15 Oct. 2026 In the United States, prisoners are occasionally executed by firing squads. — Dexter Filkins, New Yorker, 14 Oct. 2026 If found guilty, the prisoners remained locked up only until their execution. — Matthew Adams, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 14 Oct. 2026 The Sheriff’s Department typically houses mentally ill prisoners at the Twin Towers, but Magaña’s family claims he was not transferred to a specialized unit within the jail that deals with more challenging cases. — Los Angeles Times, 10 Oct. 2026 Dating to before statehood in 1890, a total of 26 prisoners have been put to death, including 10 executions at the Old Penitentiary in Boise, according to the Idaho State Historical Society. — Idaho Statesman, 9 Oct. 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for prisoners
captives
Noun
  • Jacob and the Reacher-Green duo are once again captives, being (separately) driven to remote spots for execution.
    — Chris Klimek, Vulture, 2 Sep. 2026
  • In a video widely shared on social media on Monday, a voice threatened to execute the captives if security operations against them continued.
    — Jacqueline Charles, Miami Herald, 28 Aug. 2026

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Cite this Entry

“Prisoners.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/prisoners. Accessed 20 Oct. 2026.

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