lexis4u: Prison

Vocabulary List Nº 282 Version 2.4. Updated at July 27, 2026.

1. Head Definitions

Oxford: prison |n| a building in which people are legally held as a punishment for a crime they have committed or while awaiting trial. (From Oxford Dictionary. July 27, 2026.)
"He died in prison both men were sent to prison." (From Oxford Dictionary. July 27, 2026.)
"The young man was prisoned behind the doors." (From Oxford Dictionary. July 27, 2026.)
Slovo Ed: prison |n| a building (or vessel) in which people are legally held as a punishment for crimes they have committed or while awaiting trial. (From Slovo Ed Dictionary.)
"He died in prison." (From Slovo Ed Dictionary.)

2. Main Definitions

cell |n| a small room in which a prisoner is locked up or in which a monk or nun sleeps. (From Slovo Ed Dictionary.)
"The authorities locked all remaining inmates in their cells." (From Slovo Ed Dictionary.)
jail / gaol |UK| |n| a place for the confinement of people accused or convicted of a crime. (From Oxford Dictionary. July 24, 2026.)
"He spent 15 years in jail / a jail sentence." (From Oxford Dictionary. July 24, 2026.)
"The driver was jailed for two years." (From Oxford Dictionary. July 24, 2026.)
lockdown 1 |n| the confinement of prison inmates to their cells as a security measure following a disturbance in the prison.
"Prisoners have been placed on lockdown to prevent further violence at the jail."
"The prison governor ordered an instant lockdown."
"Prisoners have been placed on lockdown to prevent further violence at the jail."
lockdown 2 |n| a prison, especially a high-security one.

3. Riots

riot |n| a situation in which a large crowd of people are behaving in a violent and uncontrolled way, especially when they are protesting about something.
"A prison riot."
"The prison riots were caused by bad physical conditions and poor security."
riot gear |n| special clothing worn by police dealing with a riot,
"Almost 1,000 officers, many in riot gear, were needed to restore order."
riot shield |n| a plastic shield used by a police officer.
"The police moved in on the demonstration using riot shields and tear gas."
Tear gas /lachrymatory agent / lachrymator a chemical weapon that causes severe eye, respiratory, and skin irritation, pain, vomiting, and even blindness. In the eye, it stimulates the nerves of the lacrimal gland to produce tears.
tear gas / lachrymatory agent / lachrymator |n| a chemical weapon that causes severe eye, respiratory, and skin irritation, pain, vomiting, and even blindness. In the eye, it stimulates the nerves of the lacrimal gland to produce tears.
pepper spray / OC spray / OC gas / capsicum spray |n| a lachrymatory agent that irritates the eyes to cause tears, pain, and temporary blindness, used in policing, riot control, crowd control, and personal self-defense, including defense against dogs and bears. Its inflammatory effects cause the eyes to close, taking away vision. This temporary blindness allows officers to more easily restrain subjects and permits people using pepper spray for self-defense an opportunity to escape. Although considered a less-than-lethal agent.

More Related

arrest |v| take into legal custody.
"Wayne was arrested for dangerous driving."
go on a hunger strike / go on hunger strike |UK| |v| to protest by refusing to eat.
"Maynard went on a hunger strike to protest his innocence."
bail 1 |n| the temporary release of an accused person awaiting trial, sometimes on condition that a sum of money is lodged to guarantee their appearance in court.
"He has been released on bail." (From Oxford Dictionary. July 24, 2026.)
bail 2 |n| money paid by or for someone in order to secure their release on bail. 'They feared the financier would be tempted to forfeit the £10 million bail and flee." (From Oxford Dictionary. July 24, 2026.)
bail 3 |verb with object| release or secure the release of (a prisoner) on payment of bail. (From Oxford Dictionary. July 24, 2026.)
"Nine were bailed on drugs charges [with object and infinitive]. (From Oxford Dictionary. July 24, 2026.)
"He was bailed to appear at Durham Crown Court his son called home to get bailed out of jail." (From Oxford Dictionary. July 24, 2026.)
Phrases stand bail (also go bail):
Act as surety for an accused person: "Offering to stand bail for a guy who had been involved in a vicious attack." (From Oxford Dictionary. July 24, 2026.)
Jump bail informal:
Fail to appear for trial after being released on bail: "He jumped bail and was on the run until his arrest. post bail." (From Oxford Dictionary. July 24, 2026.)
Pay a sum of money as bail: "If a defendant can post bail and presents no threat, he should be allowed to await trial at home. (From Oxford Dictionary. July 24, 2026.)
death row |n| a specific area in a prison that houses inmates awaiting execution after being convicted of a capital crime such as murder, treason, or terrorism. (From Google IA. July 27, 2026.)
incarceration |n| the state of being imprisoned.
"His ignominious incarceration in the local jail."
"There have been angry protests about his arrest and incarceration."
"Immediately upon incarceration, you are registered for the general social security scheme (health and maternity insurance), even if you have illegal alien status."
jailbreak / breakout / gaolbreak / prisonbreak / prison-breaking |v| an escape from jail.
"The breakout was carefully planned."
sentence |n| the punishment assigned to a defendant found guilty by a court, or fixed by law for a particular offence. (From Oxford Dictionary. July 24, 2026.)
"Her husband is serving a three-year sentence for fraud slander of an official carried an eight-year prison sentence he was under sentence of death."(From Oxford Dictionary. July 24, 2026.)
"Ten army officers were sentenced to life imprisonment. (From Oxford Dictionary. July 24, 2026.)
solitary confinement |n| a form of imprisonment where a person is kept in a single cell for 22 to 24 hours a day with little to no human contact. It is also known as restrictive housing or administrative segregation. Key Features: a) isolation: inmates have almost no direct physical or social contact with other people. n) duration: prisoners stay locked in their cells for most of the day and night. c) environment: cells are small, and privileges like phone calls, visits, or natural light are heavily cut back. (From Google IA. July 25, 2026.)

People

guard |n| a person who keeps watch, especially a soldier or other person assigned to protect a person or to control access to a place. (From Oxford Dictionary. July 24, 2026.)
"A security guard." (From Oxford Dictionary. July 24, 2026.)
police 1 |n| force responsible for the prevention and detection of crime and the maintenance of public order.
police 2 |n| the official organization that is responsible for protecting people and property, making people obey the law, finding out about and solving crime, and catching people who have committed a crime.
prison governor |UK| / prison warden |US| |n| is the senior manager or head administrator in charge of running a prison. They hold ultimate responsibility for the safe, secure, and legal operation of a correctional facility.
prison guard |n| someone who guards prisoners.
prisoner / convict / detainee / inmate / jailbird / con / lifer / yardbird |n| someone who is kept in a prison as a punishment for a crime, or while they are waiting for their trial.
"Prisoner may be locked in their cells for twenty-two hours a day."
"A prisoner serving a life sentence for murder."
"A third of all inmates are remand prisoners who are awaiting trial or sentencing."
offender 1 |n| a person who commits an illegal act.
"An institution for juvenile offenders."
offender 2 |n| a person or thing that offends, does something wrong, or causes problems.
riot police / riot squad |n| police specially equipped with riot gear (shields, tear gas grenades, etc) for dealing with rioting crowds.
"Then someone called the riot squad.
"Demonstrators clashed with 140 riot squad officers, drawn from the police and the British army."