: any of a group occupying a single place of residence
especially
: a person confined (as in a prison or hospital)
Examples of inmate in a Sentence
Recent Examples on the Web
Advertisement Chino city officials said they were caught off-guard when the CDCR began transferring inmates in February.
—
Salvador Hernandez, Los Angeles Times, 9 May 2024
At the most troubled facility, Southern Regional Jail, which is in coal country, recent investigations have revealed that inmates were forced to sleep on concrete floors and to drink from toilets.
—Dan Kaufman, The New Yorker, 9 May 2024
See all Example Sentences for inmate 
Salvador Hernandez, Los Angeles Times, 9 May 2024
At the most troubled facility, Southern Regional Jail, which is in coal country, recent investigations have revealed that inmates were forced to sleep on concrete floors and to drink from toilets.
—Dan Kaufman, The New Yorker, 9 May 2024
See all Example Sentences for inmate
These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'inmate.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.
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“Inmate.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/inmate. Accessed 13 May. 2024.
Copy CitationKids Definition
inmate
noun
in·mate
ˈin-ˌmāt 
: a member of a group living in a single residence
especially
: a person kept in an institution (as a hospital or prison)
Medical Definition
inmate
noun
in·mate
ˈin-ˌmāt
: one of a group occupying a single place of residence
especially
: a person confined (as in a psychiatric hospital) especially for a long time
Legal Definition
inmate
noun
in·mate
ˈin-ˌmāt
: a person confined in an institution (as a prison or hospital)
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