prisoner

prisoner — noun

1. someone confined to a prison as punishment for breaking the law, or held there w

1.名詞B1
釋義

someone confined to a prison as punishment for breaking the law, or held there while awaiting trial

例句

The prisoner asked the guard for permission to call her lawyer.

collocation: ask the guard / call a lawyer

Kwame spent three years as a prisoner before the court found him innocent.

collocation: find someone innocent

同義詞
  • inmate

    more neutral and formal; focuses on the person living in an institution rather than the legal status

  • convict

    specifically someone who has been found guilty by a court; carries a stronger criminal-judgment connotation

  • detainee

    someone held temporarily, often while awaiting trial or processing; does not imply guilt

反義詞
  • free person

    someone who is not in custody

  • guard

    a person employed to watch over prisoners, not someone who is confined

文法句型

prisoner + of + noun phrase

用法筆記

Frequently appears in legal contexts paired with verbs like 'release,' 'sentence,' 'hold,' or 'keep.' Use 'in' to specify the institution (in prison / in a cell), and 'on' to specify the status (on trial / on remand). A prisoner who has been found guilty is also called a convict.

常見錯誤

❌The police arrested the prisoner at the crime scene.
✅The police arrested the suspect at the crime scene.
💡A prisoner is someone already in prison or in custody; a person arrested at the scene is a suspect until charged.

2. someone taken by enemy forces during a war or conflict and forced to stay in a g

2.名詞C2
釋義

someone taken by enemy forces during a war or conflict and forced to stay in a guarded location

例句

The enemy soldiers held the prisoners in a small room with no windows.

collocation: hold a prisoner

Mateo was taken prisoner during the battle and kept in a camp for six months.

fixed expression: taken prisoner

同義詞
  • captive

    broader term for anyone held against their will, not limited to war or crime

  • hostage

    someone held to force someone else to meet demands; implies a bargaining situation, unlike a prisoner of war

  • POW

    the standard abbreviation for 'prisoner of war'; common in news and historical writing

反義詞
  • captor

    the person or group holding the prisoner

  • free person

    someone not held against their will

文法句型

take + someone + prisoner

prisoner of war

用法筆記

The phrase 'take someone prisoner' is a fixed expression meaning to capture someone during a conflict. 'Prisoner of war' (often shortened to POW) is a specific legal status protected by international law. Unlike sense 1, this sense does not imply that the person committed a crime; the capture happens because of armed conflict.

常見錯誤

❌He became a prisoner of war during the kidnapping.
✅He became a prisoner of war during the battle.
💡Prisoner of war only applies to armed conflict between military forces, not to criminal acts like kidnapping.