prisoner

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pris·on·er

(prĭz′ə-nər, prĭz′nər)

1. A person held in custody, captivity, or a condition of forcible restraint, especially while on trial or serving a prison sentence.

2. One deprived of freedom of expression or action: "He was a prisoner of his own personality—of that given set of traits that ... predisposed him to see the world in a certain way, to make certain moves, certain choices" (William H. Hallahan).

Idiom:

take no prisoners

1. To kill all of an enemy or a population.

2. To be ruthless or unrestrained, as in an undertaking: "Grandmother was both very pretty and very mouthy. She took no prisoners" (Nicki Giovanni).

American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fifth Edition. Copyright © 2016 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.

prisoner

(ˈprɪzənə)

1. (Law) a person deprived of liberty and kept in prison or some other form of custody as a punishment for a crime, while awaiting trial, or for some other reason

2. a person confined by any of various restraints: we are all prisoners of time.

3. take no prisoners informal to be uncompromising and resolute in one's actions

4. take someone prisoner to capture and hold someone as a prisoner, esp as a prisoner of war

Collins English Dictionary – Complete and Unabridged, 12th Edition 2014 © HarperCollins Publishers 1991, 1994, 1998, 2000, 2003, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2011, 2014

pris•on•er

(ˈprɪz ə nər, ˈprɪz nər)

n.

1. a person confined in prison or kept in custody, esp. as the result of legal process.

2. a person or thing deprived of liberty or kept in restraint.

[1300–50; Middle English < Anglo-French]

ThesaurusAntonymsRelated WordsSynonymsLegend:

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Noun

prisoner - a person who is confined; especially a prisoner of war

captive

unfortunate, unfortunate person - a person who suffers misfortune

convict, yard bird, yardbird, con, inmate - a person serving a sentence in a jail or prison

detainee, political detainee - some held in custody

hostage, surety - a prisoner who is held by one party to insure that another party will meet specified terms

internee - a person who is interned; "the internees were enemy aliens and suspected terrorists"

political prisoner - someone who is imprisoned because of their political views

POW, prisoner of war - a person who surrenders to (or is taken by) the enemy in time of war

prisoner

noun

1. convict, con (slang), lag (slang), jailbird the large number of prisoners sharing cells

2. captive, hostage, detainee, internee wartime hostages and concentration-camp prisoners

Quotations
"Only free men can negotiate. Prisoners cannot enter into contracts" [Nelson Mandela]

Collins Thesaurus of the English Language – Complete and Unabridged 2nd Edition. 2002 © HarperCollins Publishers 1995, 2002

Translations

سَجينسَجِيـن

vězeň-kyně

fange

Häftling Gefangene

φυλακισμένος κρατούμενος

prisionero recluso preso

vanki

prisonnier

zatvorenikzatvorenica

rab

fangi

prigioniero carcerato detenuto

囚人捕虜とりこ

죄수

ujetnikzapornik

fånge

ผู้ถูกขัง

mahkum tutuklu

phạm nhân

囚犯

prisoner

[ˈprɪznəʳ] N

1. (under arrest) → detenido/a m/f; (in court) → acusado/a m/f; (convicted) → preso/a m/f, reo/a m/f (Mil) → prisionero/a m/f
prisoner of conscience → preso/a m/f de conciencia
to hold sb prisoner → detener a algn
to keep sb (a) prisoner → tener retenido a algn, tener prisionero a algn
to take sb prisoner → tomar preso a algn, hacer prisionero a algn
prisoner of war → prisionero/a m/f de guerra, preso/a m/f de guerra
to take no prisoners → no andarse con miramientos, ir a por todas
see also bar A6
see also political B

2. (fig) → preso/a m/f, prisionero/a m/f

Collins Spanish Dictionary - Complete and Unabridged 8th Edition 2005 © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1971, 1988 © HarperCollins Publishers 1992, 1993, 1996, 1997, 2000, 2003, 2005

prisoner

[ˈprɪz^ənə^r] n

(in jail) → prisonnier/ière m/f
the prisoner at the bar → l'accusé(e)

(also prisoner of war) → prisonnier/ière m/f
to take sb prisoner → faire qn prisonnier/ière m/f
to be taken prisoner → être fait prisonnier/ière m/f
to hold sb prisoner → retenir qn prisonnier/ière m/fprisoner of conscience n → prisonnier/ière m/f de conscienceprisoner of war n → prisonnier/ière m/f de guerreprison guard n (US) → gardien(ne) m/f de prisonprison inmate n → prisonnier/ière m/fprison officer n → gardien(ne) m/f de prisonprison sentence n → peine f de prisonprison warder n → gardien(ne) m/f de prison

Collins English/French Electronic Resource. © HarperCollins Publishers 2005

prisoner

(lit, fig) → Gefangene(r) mf; to hold or keep somebody prisoner → jdn gefangen halten; to take somebody prisoner → jdn gefangen nehmen; to take no prisoners (fig) → keine Gefangenen machen; prisoner of war → Kriegsgefangene(r) mf; prisoner of war camp → (Kriegs)gefangenenlager nt

(Jur: under arrest) → Festgenommene(r) mf; (facing charge, at the bar) → Angeklagte(r) mf

Collins German Dictionary – Complete and Unabridged 7th Edition 2005. © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1980 © HarperCollins Publishers 1991, 1997, 1999, 2004, 2005, 2007

prisoner

[ˈprɪznəʳ] n (under arrest) → arrestato/a; (convicted) → detenuto/a (Mil) (fig) → prigioniero/a
the prisoner at the bar → l'accusato/a, l'imputato/a
to take sb prisoner → far prigioniero/a qn

prison

(ˈprizn) noun

a building in which criminals are kept; a jail. He was sent to prison; He is in prison.

ˈprisoner noun

anyone who has been captured and is held against his will as a criminal, in a war etc. The prisoners escaped from jail.

prisoner of war – plural prisoners of war

– a member of the armed forces captured in a war.

take/keep/hold prisoner

to (capture and) confine (a person) against his will. Many soldiers were killed and the rest taken prisoner; She was kept prisoner in a locked room.

prisoner

→ سَجِيـن vězeň fange Häftling φυλακισμένος prisionero vanki prisonnier zatvorenik prigioniero 囚人 죄수 gevangene innsatt więzień prisioneiro арестант fånge ผู้ถูกขัง mahkum phạm nhân 囚犯

References in classic literature ?

And, again, the chief lawyers for the prosecution and the defense, following the Judge's example, had revised their speeches for and against the prisoner. Lastly, particular care had been taken to secure a literally correct report of the evidence given by the various witnesses.

THE DEAN OF FACULTY (Farmichael), } Counsel for the Panel ALEXANDER CROCKET, Esquire (Advocate),} (otherwise the Prisoner) MR.

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He proposed to call witnesses to show how the prisoner, a profligate and spendthrift, had been at the end of his financial tether, and had also been carrying on an intrigue with a certain Mrs.

Philips wagged an expressive forefinger--the prisoner was not aware of that.

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According to custom, the prisoner was without a light.

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A prisoner?" cried the little man, jumping up from his chair.

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Lippet arose from his seat at the table, and whispered in the ear of the prisoner; when Natty gave him a nod of assent, and took the deer-skin covering from his head.

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Lorry sat at a table, among the gentlemen in wigs: not far from a wigged gentleman, the prisoner's counsel, who had a great bundle of papers before him: and nearly opposite another wigged gentleman with his hands in his pockets, whose whole attention, when Mr.

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But he had not time to realize that the colonel had been killed, that the soldier shouting "Brothers!" was a prisoner, and that another man had been bayoneted in the back before his eyes, for hardly had he run into the redoubt before a thin, sallow-faced, perspiring man in a blue uniform rushed on him sword in hand, shouting something.

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It was, as we have said, the 1st of March, and the prisoner was soon buried in darkness.

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Who ever heard of getting a prisoner loose in such an old- maidy way as that?

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Olivain had ready the horses of the young men, and the lackeys of the Count de Guiche guarded carefully between them the Spanish prisoner, mounted on a pony which had been bought for his use.