Word:Prisoner

pris‧on‧er [countable] noun

1 someone who is kept in a prison as a legal punishment for a crime or while they are waiting for their trial [↪ guard,imprison]:

Relationships between the staff and the prisoners are good.

Prisoners here only serve short sentences.

remand prisoner British English (=someone who is in prison waiting for their trial)

The organization is arguing for the release of political prisoners (=people in prison because of their political opinions).

2 someone who is taken by force and kept somewhere [= captive]

hold/keep somebody prisoner

The guerillas kept her prisoner for three months.

He was being held prisoner.

Our pilot was taken prisoner.

The army advanced, taking 200,000 prisoners.

3 someone who is in a place or situation from which they cannot escape:

He is a prisoner of his own past.