jail
Americannoun
verb (used with object)
noun
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a place for the confinement of persons convicted and sentenced to imprisonment or of persons awaiting trial to whom bail is not granted
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informal to get out of a difficult situation
verb
Usage
What is a basic definition of jail? A jail is a building that houses prisoners and people accused of crimes, especially minor crimes. Jail also means to imprison for committing a crime or to lawfully detain a person. A jail is a building where criminals or people accused of crimes are housed. Jails are usually small buildings that keep prisoners only until they go to trial or for criminals with short punishments. Typically, a prisoner only spends around 90 days in a jail. A person accused of a more serious crime may be kept in a jail until their trial or until they are transferred to a larger facility. The phrase “in jail” often means a person is spending time in a jail. A person who manages a jail or puts a person in a jail is called a jailer.
- Real-life examples: In the United States, jails are usually managed at the local level, such as by a town or county. A person who commits a minor offense such as being drunk in public or trespassing may be sentenced to spend time in a county jail.
- Used in a sentence: After a wild night, the partygoers woke up the next morning in the city jail.
- Real-life examples: If a person is arrested by police, they are usually jailed until they are taken to trial. Depending on the judge’s ruling, they may be jailed again as punishment for a crime.
- Used in a sentence: The police quickly jailed the men who were caught trying to steal a car.
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
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jail-likeadjective
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rejailverb (used with object)
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unjailedadjective
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jaillessadjective
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jailableadjective
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jaillikeadjective
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nonjailableadjective
Conjugated Forms
Present
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has jailedperfect 3rd person singular
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have jailedperfect
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am jailingprogressive 1st person singular
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are jailingprogressive
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have been jailingperfect progressive
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jailingparticiple
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jailssingular 3rd person
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has been jailingperfect progressive 3rd person singular
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is jailingprogressive 3rd person singular
Past
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had jailedperfect
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had been jailingperfect progressive
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was jailingprogressive singular
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jailedparticiple
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jailedsimple
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were jailingprogressive plural
Future
Etymology
Origin of jail
1225–75; Middle English gaiole, jaiole, jaile < Old North French gaiole, Old French jaiole cage < Vulgar Latin *gaviola, variant of *caveola, diminutive of Latin cavea cage; see -ole 1
Explanation
A jail is a place where people are confined while they're being punished for a crime. If you end up getting a mug shot and put behind bars, chances are you are In jail. To arrest someone and put them in a jail cell is to jail them. Jail prisoners are often simply waiting for their trials — they've been charged with a crime, but they haven't yet been found to be guilty (or innocent). Jail was originally spelled gayhol, and in Britain it's also spelled gaol. This can be traced back to the Medieval Latin gabiola, from Late Latin caveola and the Latin cavea, "cage or enclosure."
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
It is the difference between a hotel room and something closer to a jail cell.
From The Wall Street Journal • Jun. 14, 2026
He was imprisoned in a jail called Tocoron in the state of Aragua -- hence the name of the gang -- escaped, and was caught again two years later and sent back to Tocoron.
From Barron's • Jun. 13, 2026
A South Korean court has sentenced former President Yoon Suk Yeol to 30 years in jail for sending drones into North Korea.
From BBC • Jun. 12, 2026
Jackson was arrested and later booked into jail on a $50,000 bond, according to jail records.
From Los Angeles Times • Jun. 9, 2026
The voices come nearer to my jail cell.
From "Blood on the River" by Elisa Carbone
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
