jail
jail — noun
1. a building where people are locked up by the government as a punishment for a cr
a building where people are locked up by the government as a punishment for a crime or while they wait for a court to decide on their case
A man who stole a car was sent to jail for two years.
sent to jail + for [duration]
The woman waited in jail for a week before her court date.
in jail + time reference
Building a new jail costs a lot of money, so some towns share one.
After the fight outside the club, the police took the men to jail.
Is there a jail in this town, or do they send people somewhere else?
- prison
the most common synonym; 'prison' often implies longer sentences and larger facilities, while 'jail' can be smaller and more local
- lockup
informal term for a small local jail, often a temporary holding space at a police station
- penitentiary
formal term for a large prison for long-term inmates, more common in American English
- freedom
the state of not being confined in a jail
文法句型
in jail
sent to jail
out of jail
jail sentence
用法筆記
In phrases like 'in jail' or 'sent to jail', the article 'the' is usually dropped. This zero-article pattern signals the abstract concept of incarceration rather than a specific building.
常見錯誤
jail — verb
1. to put someone into a prison as a legal penalty for a crime they have committed
to put someone into a prison as a legal penalty for a crime they have committed or while they await a court hearing on their case
The judge jailed the man for stealing money from the shop.
jailed + for [crime]
In some countries, people are jailed for saying things against the government.
passive: are jailed for [activity]
Her father was jailed for five years after the trial.
A person can be jailed for one day or many years, based on the crime.
Should young people be jailed for small crimes, or given a different punishment?
文法句型
jail + person + for + noun/gerund
be jailed for [crime/duration]
用法筆記
Frequently used in the passive voice ('was jailed', 'are jailed') because the focus is usually on the person being imprisoned rather than the authority doing the jailing. The active subject is typically a judge or a court.