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# prison

«prison» in Mova's school dictionary: **A building where people who have broken the law are kept…** — its meaning for a pupil, its sense in the lessons and examples, with 5 sentences of Mova's corpora that use it.

### part of speech

noun (a prison, prisons; also uncountable: in prison)

### meaning for a pupil

1) A building where people who have broken the law are kept as a punishment. [tree →](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/P/prison/#m1)

2) A place or situation where someone feels trapped. [tree →](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/P/prison/#m2)

### sense in the lessons

In stories, news and social studies: criminals are sent to prison. In UK and Ireland also "jail" or "gaol"; in the USA "jail" is for short stays and "prison" for long ones. Phrases: go to prison, in prison, prison officer, prison cell.

### examples

- The thief was sent to prison for two years. [tree →](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/P/prison/#x1)
- The castle was once used as a prison. [tree →](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/P/prison/#x2)
- A prison officer guards the cells. [tree →](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/P/prison/#x3)
- He escaped from prison in the story. [tree →](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/P/prison/#x4)
- Being stuck indoors all summer felt like a prison. [tree →](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/P/prison/#x5)
- She visited her uncle in prison. [tree →](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/P/prison/#x6)
- Here, guards! away with him to the prison. [tree →](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/P/prison/#x7)

### note

"In prison" and "go to prison" without "the" when you mean being punished; "the prison" for the building. A person in prison is a prisoner. Synonyms: jail, gaol (UK old spelling), (slang) nick, slammer.

### In the corpora

- [Alice says the Cat belongs to the Duchess, so they fetch the Duchess from prison.](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/school/books/16-alice-the-queens-croquet-ground-2/10/)
- [Toad boasts to himself: «My enemies shut me up in prison...](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/school/books/63-willows-ch10-part3-the-conceited-song/11/)
- [I am the Toad, the motor-car snatcher, the prison-breaker, the Toad who always escapes!»](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/school/books/64-willows-ch10-part4-into-the-horse-pond/26/)
- [Toad boasts: «Been in prison—got out of it, of course!](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/school/books/65-willows-ch11-part1-why-steal-them/16/)
- [I've only broken out of the strongest prison in England, that's all!»](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/school/books/67-willows-ch11-part3-badger-and-mole-come-home/33/)

### Trees and pragmatics

[Every meaning and example of «prison» parsed by Mova](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/P/prison/), each sentence with its dependency tree and frames.