jail
2 ENTRIES FOUND:
1
jail
noun
plural
jails
1
jail
noun
plural
jails
Britannica Dictionary definition of JAIL
:
a place where people are kept when they have been arrested and are being punished for a crime
[count]
-
He was locked up in the county jail.
[noncount]
-
He was arrested and sent/sentenced 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.
jail, prison, and penitentiary
In British English, there is no clear difference between jail and prison, and the word penitentiary is not now used.
-
He was arrested for drunkenness and spent a night in the city jail.
-
He was sentenced to 40 years in a state/federal prison.
-
He is serving a life sentence at a federal penitentiary.
2
jail
/ˈʤeɪl/
verb
also British
gaol
jails;
jailed;
jailing
2
jail
/ˈʤeɪl/
verb
also British
gaol
jails;
jailed;
jailing
Britannica Dictionary definition of JAIL
[+ object]
:
to put (a person) in jail
— usually used as (be) jailed
-
He was jailed for assaulting a police officer.
