Meanings
plural jails · alternative UK dated gaol
- countableuncountableA place or institution for the confinement of persons held against their will in lawful custody or detention, especially (in US usage) a place where people are held for minor offenses or with reference to some future judicial proceeding.
jail sentence
5 more examples
serve time in jail
released from jail
He was sent to jail for theft.
She visited her brother in jail.
Taking a shower at the high school, Tommy (the Kitten) Cavanaugh kids Ugly Palmers. "Ugly, if you think the world is coming to an end," he says, "what are you wasting your time here at this jail for? You gonna need American history up there?"
1966, Robert Coover, “Part II, section 11”, in The Origin of the Brunists, 1st edition, page 218 - uncountableConfinement in a jail.
He said Robins had not been in trouble with the law before and had no previous convictions. Jail would have an adverse effect on her and her three children as she was the main carer.
2011 December 14, Steven Morris, “Devon woman jailed for 168 days for killing kitten in microwave”, in Guardian - uncountablehobbiesThe condition created by the requirement that a horse claimed in a claiming race not be run at another track for some period of time (usually 30 days).
- countableuncountableIn dodgeball and related games, the area where players who have been struck by the ball are confined.
- uncountableusuallycomputingA kind of sandbox for running a guest operating system instance.
present singular third person jails · participle present jailing · participle past jailed · past jailed · alternative UK dated gaol
- transitiveTo imprison, incarcerate, enjail.
It has jailed environmental activists and is planning to limit the power of judicial oversight by handing a state-approved body a monopoly over bringing environmental lawsuits.
2013 August 10, “Can China clean up fast enough?”, in The Economist, volume 408, number 88482 more examples
A 22-year-old man has been jailed for life with a minimum term of 25 years for fatally stabbing 22-year-old Tashan Daniel in an unprovoked attack at Hillingdon Underground station on September 24 2019.
2020 September 9, “Network News: Man jailed for Hillingdon murder”, in Rail, page 25Hoping to everyone in Ghana will one day see and experience human rights. No one should be jailed or attacked because they are apart of the lgbtq^([sic]) community. I hope one day you all can seek refuge.
2026 July 11 (last accessed), anonymous author, Queering the Map, Onwe, Ashanti Region, Ghana, 6°40'54.9"N 1°25'34.3"W
Synonyms & antonyms
nounA place or institution for the confinement of persons held against their will in lawful custody or detention, especially (in US usage) a place where people are held for minor offenses or with reference to some future judicial proceeding.
More synonyms by meaning
nouna 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)
verblock up or confine, in or as in a jail
Synonym sets from Open English WordNet, CC BY 4.0.
Origin
- Proto-Indo-European*ḱewh₁-
- Proto-Indo-European*ḱowh₁ós?
- Proto-Italic*kawos
- Latincavus
- Latin*caveus
- Latincavea
- Late Latincaveola
- Anglo-Normanjaiole
- Middle Englishgayole
- Englishjail
Inherited from Middle English gayole, borrowed from Anglo-Norman jaiole, from Late Latin caveola, from Latin cavea (“cage”) + -ola (diminutive ending). Doublet of caveola and related to cage. More at cajole. Fully displaced native Middle English quartern (“prison, jail, cell”), from Old English cweartern (“jail, prison”). Partially displaced native Middle English lok, from Old English loc (“enclosure, pen; jail, prison”), whence lock; and Middle English carcern, from Old English carcern, from Latin carcer (“prison, jail”). Compare these Old English words, all meaning “jail”: heaþor, heolstorloca (means also “jail cell”), clūstorloc, dung (also “dungeon”), hlinræced, nirwþ, nīedcleofa, hearmloca, and nearu.
More words from Middle English
Full word history & related roots →Translations
Afrikaans tronk
- tronkplace for short-term confinement
Arabic سِجْن, حَبْس
- سِجْن (sijn)place for short-term confinement
- حَبْس (ḥabs)place for short-term confinement
Basque espetxe
- espetxeplace for short-term confinement
Bulgarian затво́р, апс
- затво́р (zatvór)place for short-term confinement
- апс (aps)place for short-term confinement
Catalan presó
- presóplace for short-term confinement
Chinese Cantonese 監倉 /监仓
- 監倉 /监仓 (gaam¹ cong¹)place for short-term confinement
Chinese Mandarin 監獄 /监狱
- 監獄 /监狱 (jiānyù)place for short-term confinement
Czech vězení
- vězeníplace for short-term confinement
Danish arrest, arresthus
- arrestplace for short-term confinement
- arresthusplace for short-term confinement
Dutch gevangenis
- gevangenisplace for short-term confinement
Esperanto arestejo
- arestejoplace for short-term confinement
Estonian vangla
- vanglaplace for short-term confinement
Finnish poliisivankila, putka
- poliisivankilaplace for short-term confinement
- putkaplace for short-term confinement
- vankilaplace for short-term confinement
- tyrmäplace for short-term confinement
- vankeusconfinement
- pidätysconfinement
- vankiladodgeball: area for confinement
French prison, geôle
- prisonplace for short-term confinement
- geôleplace for short-term confinement
German Gefängnis
- Gefängnisplace for short-term confinement
Greek φυλακή, δεσμωτήριο
- φυλακή (fylakí)place for short-term confinement
- δεσμωτήριο (desmotírio)place for short-term confinement
- φυλάκιση (fylákisi)confinement
Hebrew כֶּלֶא, מַאֲסָר
- כֶּלֶא (kéle)place for short-term confinement
- מַאֲסָר (maasár)place for short-term confinement
Hindi कारागार, बन्दीघर
- कारागार (kārāgār)place for short-term confinement
- बन्दीघर (bandīghar)place for short-term confinement
- जेल (jel)place for short-term confinement
- क़ैदख़ाना (qaidxānā)place for short-term confinement
Hungarian fogda, fogház
- fogdaplace for short-term confinement
- fogházplace for short-term confinement
- börtönconfinement
- börtönbüntetésconfinement
- bebörtönzésconfinement
- elzárásconfinement
- szabadságvesztésconfinement
Indonesian penjara, bui
- penjaraplace for short-term confinement
- buiplace for short-term confinement
- kurunganplace for short-term confinement
- rumah tahananplace for short-term confinement
Irish carcair
- carcairplace for short-term confinement
Italian carcere, prigione
- carcereplace for short-term confinement
- prigioneplace for short-term confinement
- gattabuiaplace for short-term confinement
- galeraplace for short-term confinement
- isolamentoconfinement
Japanese 監獄
- 監獄 (kangoku)place for short-term confinement
Korean 감옥, 교도소
- 감옥 (gamok)place for short-term confinement
- 교도소 (gyodoso)place for short-term confinement
Latin carcer, ferriterium
- carcerplace for short-term confinement
- ferriteriumplace for short-term confinement
Malay penjara
- penjaraplace for short-term confinement
Norwegian fengsel
- fengselplace for short-term confinement
Persian زندان, حبسخانه
- زندان (zendân)place for short-term confinement
- حبسخانه (habsxâne)place for short-term confinement
- بندیخانه (bandixâne)place for short-term confinement
Polish więzienie
- więzienieconfinement
Portuguese cadeia, cárcere
- cadeiaplace for short-term confinement
- cárcereplace for short-term confinement
Punjabi ਜੇਲ੍ਹ
- ਜੇਲ੍ਹ (jelh)place for short-term confinement
Romanian închisoare, temniță
- închisoareplace for short-term confinement
- temnițăplace for short-term confinement
- pușcărieplace for short-term confinement
Russian тюрьма
- тюрьма (tjurʹma)place for short-term confinement
Slovak väzenie
- väzenieplace for short-term confinement
Spanish cárcel, presidio
- cárcelplace for short-term confinement
- presidioplace for short-term confinement
- penalplace for short-term confinement
- trulloplace for short-term confinement
- chironaplace for short-term confinement
- trenaplace for short-term confinement
- gayolaplace for short-term confinement
- peniplace for short-term confinement
- chinchaplace for short-term confinement
- chirondaplace for short-term confinement
Swedish häkte
- häkteplace for short-term confinement
Tagalog piitan
- piitanplace for short-term confinement
Thai คุก
- คุก (kúk)place for short-term confinement
Turkish hapis, hapishane
- hapisplace for short-term confinement
- hapishaneplace for short-term confinement
Ukrainian в'язни́ця, тюрма́
- в'язни́ця (vʺjaznýcja)place for short-term confinement
- тюрма́ (tjurmá)place for short-term confinement
Urdu کاراگار, بندیگھر
- کاراگار (kārāgār)place for short-term confinement
- بندیگھر (bandīghar)place for short-term confinement
- جیل (jēl)place for short-term confinement
- قیدخانہ (qaidxānā)place for short-term confinement
Vietnamese nhà tù, nhà tạm giam
- nhà tùplace for short-term confinement
- nhà tạm giamplace for short-term confinement
Welsh carchar, jael
- carcharplace for short-term confinement
- jaelplace for short-term confinement
Yiddish טורמע
- טורמע (turme)place for short-term confinement
Rhymes & wordplay
Rhymes with jail
Anagrams
Cite this entry
jail. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 2, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/jail
“jail.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/jail. Accessed November 2, 2026.
WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “jail,” accessed November 2, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/jail.
Source: jail on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.