jail

1 of 2

noun

1
: a place of confinement for persons held in lawful custody
specifically : such a place under the jurisdiction of a local government (such as a county) for the confinement of persons awaiting trial or those convicted of minor crimes compare prison
2
: confinement in a jail
sentenced to jail

jail

2 of 2

verb

jailed; jailing; jails

transitive verb

: to confine in or as if in a jail

Examples of jail in a Sentence

Noun He was locked up in the county jail. He was arrested and sent to jail. He went to jail for his crimes. He just got out of jail a few weeks ago. He was kept in jail overnight. Verb threatened to jail the punks if they so much as jaywalked
Recent Examples on the Web
Noun
He was sentenced to 89 days in jail, 32 hours of public service and ordered to pay $820 in fees and fines. Alex Golden, Axios, 21 Oct. 2024 Anyone who is found guilty of violating the ordinance, if approved, would face a misdemeanor and may be fined up to $500 and face up to 90 days in jail. Dana Afana, Detroit Free Press, 19 Oct. 2024
Verb
Italian citizens jailed for a procedure that's completely legal in other countries, the U.S. included. Cybele Mayes-Osterman, USA TODAY, 18 Oct. 2024 For the past few decades, several South Korean authors have been bruited about as contenders for the Nobel Prize in Literature, notably the poet Ko Un and the novelist Hwang Sok-yong, elder statesmen who were both previously jailed for political activism. Ed Park, The Atlantic, 12 Oct. 2024 See all Example Sentences for jail 

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

Word History

Etymology

Noun

Middle English jaiole, from Anglo-French gaiole, jaiole, from Late Latin caveola, diminutive of Latin cavea cage — more at cage

First Known Use

Noun

13th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Verb

1604, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of jail was in the 13th century

Dictionary Entries Near jail

Cite this Entry

“Jail.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/jail. Accessed 4 Nov. 2024.

Kids Definition

jail

noun
ˈjā(ə)l
: prison
jail verb

Legal Definition

jail

noun
: a place of confinement for persons held in lawful custody
specifically : such a place under the jurisdiction of a local government (as a county) for the confinement of persons awaiting trial or those convicted of minor crimes compare house of correction, house of detention, lockup, penitentiary, prison
jail transitive verb

More from Merriam-Webster on jail

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!