cellmate

noun

cell·​mate ˈsel-ˌmāt How to pronounce cellmate (audio)
variants or less commonly cell mate
plural cellmates also cell mates
: a person who shares a prison cell with another prisoner
When his cellmates learned that his bond had been set at $1 million (and bail at $500,000), they broke into laughter and shook their heads in disbelief.Richard Behar
Within a week, guards came by at night and told me to get ready. … I said goodbye to my cellmates and gathered my things …Clare Morgana Gillis

Examples of cellmate in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web Ward committed another murder less than a month later, killing his cellmate, Douglas Walker, in the Lower Buckeye Jail, which the Maricopa County Sheriff's Office runs. Christina Avery, The Arizona Republic, 18 June 2024 To hear Martinez tell it, the conspiracy is broad: the FBI, the U.S. attorney, the Orange County Sheriff’s Department and district attorney, all channeling their hopes of imprisoning him through Martinez’s former cellmate, Omar Mejia. Matthew Ormseth, Los Angeles Times, 15 June 2024 Investigators then spoke with the cellmate, who explained the plot. Joseph Wilkinson, New York Daily News, 4 Apr. 2024 Additionally, police said Ford, while being held on an unrelated matter at the Hartford Correctional Center, allegedly made multiple statements to a cellmate that implicated him in Woodson’s murder, according to the warrant affidavit. Justin Muszynski, Hartford Courant, 19 Jan. 2024 See all Example Sentences for cellmate 

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'cellmate.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Word History

First Known Use

1839, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of cellmate was in 1839

Dictionary Entries Near cellmate

Cite this Entry

“Cellmate.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/cellmate. Accessed 2 Jul. 2024.

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
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