jail

noun
UK: /dʒeɪl/
US: /dʒeɪl/

  1. A place where people are kept after being arrested, or are serving a sentence.

    1. He is in jail now because he robbed a bank. [ ] [ ]
    2. The suspect was released from jail after posting the required bail amount. [ ] [ ]

  2. Imprisonment or confinement in a jail.

    1. She faced a long jail sentence for the crime. [ ] [ ]
    2. Avoiding jail time was his primary motivation for cooperating with the police investigation. [ ] [ ]

Synonyms

prison stockade gaol detain confine imprison
jail transitive-verb

  1. To put someone in jail.

    1. The police will jail him for theft. [ ] [ ]
    2. Authorities decided to jail the protestors who blocked the city's main street. [ ] [ ]

  2. To confine or restrict someone or something.

    1. Don't jail your creativity by sticking to old ideas. [ ] [ ]
    2. She felt jailed by her responsibilities and longed for a life of freedom. [ ] [ ]

Frequently Asked Questions

The word "jail" in English means: A place where people are kept after being arrested, or are serving a sentence., Imprisonment or confinement in a jail..

The phonetic transcription of "jail" is /dʒeɪl/ in British English and /dʒeɪl/ in American English. Click the 🔊 button to hear both pronunciations.

Synonyms for "jail": prison, stockade, gaol, detain, confine, imprison.

Example usage of "jail": "He is in jail now because he robbed a bank.". More examples on the page.