American English
/ˈpʰɹɪ.zn̩/
2 syllables · Stress the first syllable.
A place where people are kept when a court has ordered them to stay there as punishment for a crime.
Practice out loudA place where people are kept when a court has ordered them to stay there as punishment for a crime.
He has been in prison for three years.
He could go to prison for fraud.
Use prison without the when you mean the general state: He is in prison. Use the prison for a particular building.
prison sentence · prison guard · prison cell · maximum-security prison
be in prison
go to prison
A situation that takes away your freedom and makes you feel trapped.
Fear became a prison for her.
He felt trapped in a prison of his own making.
a prison of + noun
feel trapped in a prison of + noun
being kept in prison
She has been in prison since 2022.
be sent to prison as punishment for a crime
He went to prison for five years.