/ ˈprɪznə(r); NAmE / noun
1.
a person who is kept in prison as a punishment, or while they are waiting for trial :
The number of prisoners serving life sentences has fallen.
They are demanding the release of all political prisoners .
2.
a person who has been captured, for example by an enemy, and is being kept somewhere :
He was taken prisoner by rebel soldiers.
They are holding her prisoner and demanding a large ransom.
( figurative )
She is afraid to go out and has become a virtual prisoner in her own home.
( figurative )
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SYNONYMS
prisoner
hostage ♦ captive ♦ detainee ♦ prisoner of war
These are all words for a person who has been captured and is being kept somewhere.
prisoner
a person who has been captured, for example by an enemy, and is being kept somewhere.
NOTE
The more frequent meaning of prisoner is 'a person who is kept in prison'.
hostage
a person who is captured and held prisoner by a person or group, and who may be injured or killed if people do not do what the person or group is asking
captive
( literary ) a person who is kept as a prisoner.
prisoner or captive?
Captive often occurs in more historical contexts involving people such as kings, queens and princesses. It is also sometimes found in references to political organizations holding people against their will. Prisoner is more often used to talk about people who have been captured in war.
detainee
a person who is kept in prison, especially for political reasons and often without a trial
prisoner of war
a person, usually a member of the armed forces, who is captured by the enemy during a war and kept in a prison camp until the war has finished
PATTERNS AND COLLOCATIONS :
to hold / keep sb prisoner / hostage / captive
to free / release a prisoner / hostage / captive / detainee / a prisoner of war
to set free a prisoner / hostage / captive
to take sb prisoner / hostage / captive
to capture a prisoner / hostage
a political prisoner / hostage / detainee
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WORD ORIGIN
late Middle English : from Old French prisonier , from prison , from Latin prensio(n-) , variant of prehensio(n-) laying hold of, from the verb prehendere .