ENGLISH
REFERENCE

jailed

v.
B2 Upper Intermediate US //ˈdʒeɪɫd// UK //dʒˈeɪld// jailed

v. to put someone in prison for a crime they committed. It is the past tense form of the action.

v. to confine a person in a prison or jail as a legal punishment. The past tense and past participle of 'jail'; transitive in all standard uses.


SIMPLE

The judge jailed the thief for three years.

CONTEXTUAL

After a long trial, the accountant was jailed for stealing money from the company.

COMPLEX

The activist was jailed for several months before international pressure finally forced the government to grant a full pardon.

Synonyms
Usage

The verb is transitive and requires a direct object, usually the person being confined.

Pitfall

He was jailed to five years.He was jailed for five years.When expressing the duration of the sentence, use the preposition 'for' rather than 'to'.

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