jail
jailed; jails; jailing
A jail is a place where people are confined while they're being punished for a crime. If you end up getting a mug shot and put behind bars, chances are you are In jail.
To arrest someone and put them in a jail cell is to jail them. Jail prisoners are often simply waiting for their trials — they've been charged with a crime, but they haven't yet been found to be guilty (or innocent). Jail was originally spelled gayhol, and in Britain it's also spelled gaol. This can be traced back to the Medieval Latin gabiola, from Late Latin caveola and the Latin cavea, "cage or enclosure."
Definitions of jail
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a correctional institution used to detain persons who are in the lawful custody of the government (either accused persons awaiting trial or convicted persons serving a sentence)
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types:
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bastille
a jail or prison (especially one that is run in a tyrannical manner)
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holding cell
a jail in a courthouse where accused persons can be confined during a trial
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hoosegow, hoosgow
slang for a jail
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house of correction
(formerly) a jail or other place of detention for persons convicted of minor offences
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lockup
jail in a local police station
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workhouse
a county jail that holds prisoners for periods up to 18 months
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type of:
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correctional institution
a penal institution maintained by the government
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lock up or confine, in or as in a jail
DISCLAIMER: These example sentences appear in various news sources and books to reflect the usage of the word ‘jail'.
Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Vocabulary.com or its editors.
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