Word
jail
US/ˈdʒeɪɫ/
UK/dʒˈeɪl/
US spelling · jailed, jails
Definitions
01a place of punishment
B1 · Intermediate Countable noun Law
n. a building where people are kept as a punishment for a crime or while waiting for a trial.
n. a place of confinement for persons held in lawful custody, typically for minor offences or while awaiting judicial proceedings.
“He spent two nights in jail after the police arrested him for the disturbance.”
“The suspect was held in the local jail for forty-eight hours while the prosecutor decided whether to file formal charges.”
Synonyms
02confinement
B2 · Upper Intermediate Uncountable noun
n. the state of being in a jail.
n. the state or condition of being confined in a correctional facility.
“The judge sentenced the thief to six months of jail.”
“The threat of jail served as a deterrent for some, though critics argued that rehabilitation was a more effective long-term solution.”
Synonyms
Antonyms
03computing sandbox
C1 · Advanced Countable noun Computing Technical
n. a safe, isolated area on a computer where a program can run without affecting other parts of the system.
n. a virtualised environment that isolates a process or guest operating system from the rest of the host system for security purposes.
“The administrator set up a jail to test the new software safely.”
“By running the web server within a jail, the administrator ensured that a potential security breach would not compromise the entire file system.”
04to put in prison
B1 · Intermediate Law
v. to put someone in jail.
v. to confine a person in a jail or prison facility; functions as a transitive verb.
“The government decided to jail the protesters for breaking the new laws.”
“The court moved to jail the defendant immediately following the verdict, citing a significant risk that he might flee the country.”
Collocations
Common phrases and expressions where native English speakers use the word “jail” in context.
Verb
01. escape from jail
“Two inmates managed to escape from jail by cutting through the perimeter fence.”
verb + prep + noun
02. go to jail
“If you are caught stealing from the company, you will definitely go to jail.”
verb + prep + noun
03. release from jail
“He was finally released from jail after new evidence proved his innocence.”
verb + prep + noun
04. spend time in jail
“The activist spent three months in jail for protesting without a permit.”
verb + noun + prep + noun
Noun
05. jail cell
“He spent the night in a cold jail cell reflecting on his mistakes.”
noun + noun
06. jail sentence
“The judge handed down a five-year jail sentence for the armed robbery.”
noun + noun
Preposition
07. in jail
“There are currently thousands of people in jail awaiting trial.”
prep + noun
08. out of jail
“His lawyer is working hard to get him out of jail on bail.”
prep + noun + prep
09. jailed for years
10. jailed after pleading
Real-World Examples
“Giribala was arrested a few days later and the mother and son remain in jail.” “A mother who killed her three-month-old daughter with heat from a hairdryer has been jailed for six years in Scotland.” Etymology
From Middle English gayole, gaylle, gaille, gayle, gaile, from Old French gaiole, gayolle, gaole, from Medieval Latin gabiola, from Late Latin caveola (“small cage, cell”), a diminutive of Latin cavea (“cavity, coop, cage”). 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.
Etymology adapted from Wiktionary, available under CC BY-SA 4.0.
Word family
NOUN
Idioms
02. movie jail
Domain
- Exam level
- CambridgeCambridgeCambridge English QualificationsThe exam suite from Cambridge University Press & Assessment, from A1 Movers up to C2 Proficiency. The benchmark names double as CEFR labels.B2 FirstIELTSIELTSInternational English Language Testing SystemThe 0–9 band test co-owned by the British Council, IDP, and Cambridge. Used for university entry, work, and migration.5.5–6.5TOEFL iBTTOEFL iBTTest of English as a Foreign Language, Internet-Based TestETS's academic English test, the standard route for US university admissions. Scored 0–120, with a 1–6 scale since 2026.1–6 scale: 4.0–4.572–94TOEICTOEICTest of English for International CommunicationETS's workplace English test, big in Japan and Korea. Listening & Reading scores 10–990 and tops out at C1.785–944
- Frequency
- Common
- Level
- B2 · Upper IntermediateOxford
- Updated
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