prisoner B1 Topic:People & Society US /ˈpɹɪzənɚ/ UK /ˈpɹɪzənə/ See IPA manual Freq #2426 Meanings 1 noun A person who is kept in a prison. The prisoners were allowed one hour of exercise each day. 2 noun Any person held somewhere against their will. The soldiers were taken prisoner during the battle. 3 noun Someone who feels trapped by a situation they cannot change. She felt like a prisoner of her own fear. Thesaurus Synonyms 1 noun · a person who is kept in a... captivejailbird More inmate Word family Forms prisoners Derived forms coprisonernon-prisonerprisonerlike Related forms imprisonprison Appears in Phrases (1) See all political prisoner a person imprisoned because of political beliefs or activities Adjective + noun Etymology AI details From Middle English prisoner, from Old French prisonier (compare Medieval Latin prisōnārius), equivalent to prison + -er. prisoner Middle English prisonier Old French View etymology graph -> Topics People & Society External links Google Images Cambridge Dictionary Wiktionary # prisoner **Type:** Word **Level:** B1 **Part of speech:** noun **IPA (US):** /ˈpɹɪzənɚ/ **IPA (UK):** /ˈpɹɪzənə/ **Frequency rank:** 2426 ## Meanings 1. A person who is kept in a prison. 2. Any person held somewhere against their will. 3. Someone who feels trapped by a situation they cannot change. ## Examples - The prisoners were allowed one hour of exercise each day. - The soldiers were taken prisoner during the battle. - She felt like a prisoner of her own fear. ## Synonyms - inmate ## Derived Forms - coprisoner - non-prisoner - prisonerlike ## Related Forms - imprison - prison ## Roots and Affixes - Root: prisoner - Root: prisonier ## Etymology From Middle English prisoner, from Old French prisonier (compare Medieval Latin prisōnārius), equivalent to prison + -er. ## AI Etymology Prisoner comes from Middle English prisoner, from Old French prisonier (compare Medieval Latin prisōnārius), equivalent to prison + -er. The historical chain includes prisoner (Middle English), prisonier (Old French). In present-day English it covers a person who is kept in a prison, any person held somewhere against their will, and someone who feels trapped by a situation they cannot change. The wider family includes derived forms such as coprisoner, non-prisoner, prisonerlike and related forms such as imprison, prison. ## Topics - People & Society markdown