jailbroke
ˈjāl-ˌbrōk 
; jailbreaking; jailbreaks
; jailbreaking; jailbreaks
: to remove built-in limitations from (an electronic device, such as a cell phone)
I'm not trying to be overly snarky here, but for … in-house app distribution, I see no need or advantage to jailbreaking an iOS device.—
John Welch
John WelchLast week we learned you can jailbreak every current model of Kindle.—Thorin Klosowski
Thorin KlosowskiApple makes it nearly impossible for the average user to download apps from anywhere else unless you jailbreak your phone.—Peter Wells
Peter WellsExamples of jailbreak in a Sentence
Recent Examples on the Web
IEEE Spectrum, 28 June 2011
Plus, most jailbreaks only work on outdated hardware and old versions of the firmware, Apple argues, because the vulnerabilities used to achieve jailbreaks get patched.
—Lily Hay Newman, WIRED, 22 July 2020
Andy Greenberg, WIRED, 16 Dec. 2024
Plus, most jailbreaks only work on outdated hardware and old versions of the firmware, Apple argues, because the vulnerabilities used to achieve jailbreaks get patched.
—Lily Hay Newman, WIRED, 22 July 2020
See all Example Sentences for jailbreak 
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Noun
By the end of 2010, hackers in Australia and Germany had released PS3 jailbreaks of their own.
—IEEE Spectrum, 28 June 2011
Plus, most jailbreaks only work on outdated hardware and old versions of the firmware, Apple argues, because the vulnerabilities used to achieve jailbreaks get patched.
—Lily Hay Newman, WIRED, 22 July 2020
Verb
Rodriguez also notes that his hacking technique could be used not just by a driver who wants to jailbreak their own plate, but also by someone targeting an unwitting owner of a plate too.
—Andy Greenberg, WIRED, 16 Dec. 2024
Plus, most jailbreaks only work on outdated hardware and old versions of the firmware, Apple argues, because the vulnerabilities used to achieve jailbreaks get patched.
—Lily Hay Newman, WIRED, 22 July 2020
See all Example Sentences for jailbreak
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Cite this Entry
“Jailbreak.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/jailbreak. Accessed 6 Jan. 2025.
Copy CitationKids Definition
jailbreak
noun
jail·break
-ˌbrāk
: an escape from jail by use of force
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