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
Synonyms
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
Megan Thomas, CNN, 22 Nov. 2024
Doing so can result in a $500 fine and up to 30 days in jail.
—Nate Chute, Austin American-Statesman, 22 Nov. 2024
Lianne Kolirin, CNN, 27 Nov. 2024
However, his jailing practically dissolved the group.
—Ella Lee, The Hill, 20 Nov. 2024
See all Example Sentences for jail 
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Noun
Smollett spent less than a week in jail after an Illinois appeals court granted an emergency motion by his attorneys to delay his sentence and grant him bail until their appeal is resolved, CNN previously reported.
—Megan Thomas, CNN, 22 Nov. 2024
Doing so can result in a $500 fine and up to 30 days in jail.
—Nate Chute, Austin American-Statesman, 22 Nov. 2024
Verb
World / United Kingdom 3 minute read Published 5:11 AM EST, Wed November 27, 2024
CNN —
A mother who kept her baby daughter in a drawer under her bed for almost three years has been jailed for seven and a half years in Britain.
—Lianne Kolirin, CNN, 27 Nov. 2024
However, his jailing practically dissolved the group.
—Ella Lee, The Hill, 20 Nov. 2024
See all Example Sentences for jail
Dictionary Entries Near jail
Cite this Entry
“Jail.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/jail. Accessed 1 Dec. 2024.
Copy CitationLegal 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
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