noun
jail
jayl
noun
1
A building where people are held in custody, typically for short sentences or while awaiting trial.
"He spent the night in the local jail after the bar fight."
"She was released from jail after her bail was posted."
verb
1
To put someone in a jail or otherwise deprive them of freedom.
"The judge jailed him for six months for the assault."
How to Use Jail
Learner’s notesIn plain EnglishA place where people are locked up, or the act of locking someone up.
UK vs US
In the US, "jail" usually means short-term local lockup (as opposed to "prison" for longer federal or state sentences); in the UK the words are used more interchangeably.
Common pairings
thrown in jail
jail time
released from jail
Word Forms
jailed past tense, jails plural, jails singular
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He spent the night in the local _____ after the bar fight.
Etymology
From Anglo-Norman jaiole, tracing back to Latin cavea, "cage" — the same root that gives us "cage" and "cajole."