/ ˈprɪzn; NAmE / noun
1.
[ C , U ] a building where people are kept as a punishment for a crime they have committed, or while they are waiting for trial
SYN jail :
He was sent to prison for five years.
She is in prison , awaiting trial.
to be released from prison
a maximum-security prison
the prison population (= the total number of prisoners in a country)
the problem of overcrowding in prisons
Ten prison officers and three inmates needed hospital treatment following the riot.
➡ note at school
2.
[ U ] the system of keeping people in prisons :
the prison service / system
The government insists that 'prison works' and plans to introduce a tougher sentencing policy for people convicted of violent crime.
3.
[ C ] a place or situation from which sb cannot escape :
His hospital room had become a prison.
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WORD ORIGIN
late Old English , from Old French prisun , from Latin prensio(n-) , variant of prehensio(n-) laying hold of, from the verb prehendere .