jail
gb/d͡ʒˈeɪl/ us/d͡ʒˈeɪl/
B1
Anglais
~ 7700
börtön, fogda, börtönbüntetés, szabadságvesztés, bebörtönöz, börtönbe zár, börtönbüntetésre ítél
NOM
B1
1
Schéma d’usage :
[someone] is in jail
The county jail is so overcrowded that some inmates sleep on the floor.
A megyei börtön annyira túlzsúfolt, hogy néhány fogvatartott a földön alszik.
She works as a nurse at the city jail.
Ápolóként dolgozik a városi börtönben.
Protesters were taken to the local jail and held overnight.
The old jail was converted into a museum for tourists.
Visitors are allowed into the jail only during certain hours.
Exemples pédagogiques
The jail is next to the police station.
A börtön a rendőrőrs mellett van.
His brother is in jail tonight after the fight.
A testvére ma este börtönben van a verekedés miatt.
They took the thief to the city jail.
The town built a new jail last year.
Erreur fréquente :
Learners often say *"He is in the jail"* when they mean the general idea of being locked up. In everyday English we usually say *"He is in jail"* with no article, unless we are talking about a specific building (e.g. *"He works in the jail on Main Street"*). Learners also sometimes confuse *jail* and *prison*: *jail* is typically local and short-term, while *prison* is usually national/state and long-term.
Sens
local prison building
Collocations
go to jail
|in jail
|local jail
|county jail
|jail cell
|overcrowded jail
Synonymes
prison (Often used more generally; usually refers to a larger, long-term facility for more serious crimes.)
|
lockup (Informal; often used for very short-term holding places, especially at police stations.)
Antonymes
freedom (Describes the opposite condition of not being confined in a secure building.)
Thèmes
crime
|law
|punishment
|society
Définition
A special building where the police keep people after they are arrested or for a short time as punishment.
A secure building where people are kept by the authorities, usually after arrest and before trial, or for short-term punishment.
NOM
B2
2
Schéma d’usage :
[someone] faces [length] in jail
He faces up to ten years in jail if he is found guilty.
Akár tíz év börtönbüntetésre is számíthat, ha bűnösnek találják.
She avoided jail by agreeing to cooperate with the investigators.
Azáltal kerülte el a börtönbüntetést, hogy vállalta az együttműködést a nyomozókkal.
Jail is a common punishment for repeat drunk drivers.
The lawyer argued that a fine would be more appropriate than jail.
Under the new law, the maximum jail for this offense has doubled.
Exemples pédagogiques
He may get jail for this crime.
Börtönbüntetést kaphat ezért a bűncselekményért.
She avoided jail because she helped the police.
Elkerülte a börtönbüntetést, mert segített a rendőrségnek.
The judge said jail would not help the young man.
In some countries, you can get jail for tax crimes.
Erreur fréquente :
Learners sometimes confuse the *place* meaning and the *punishment* meaning. In *"He faces five years in jail"*, *jail* refers to the punishment, not a specific building. Also, *jail time* is a fixed phrase meaning the time spent as punishment, not the time the building exists.
Sens
punishment of being in jail
Collocations
face jail
|avoid jail
|jail time
|jail term
|jail sentence
|get jail
Synonymes
imprisonment (More formal and general; can refer to being kept in any kind of prison, not only a local jail.)
|
incarceration (Formal and legal; often used in news and legal writing.)
Antonymes
freedom (Refers to not being punished by confinement and being free to move and live normally.)
Thèmes
crime
|law
|punishment
Définition
The punishment of being kept in jail for a period of time.
The legal punishment or state of being kept in jail, especially as a result of a court decision.
VERBE
B2
3
Schéma d’usage :
to jail [someone] (for [time])
The judge jailed him for six months for assault.
A bíró hat hónap börtönbüntetésre ítélte testi sértésért.
Several activists were jailed after the protest turned violent.
Miután a tüntetés erőszakossá vált, több aktivistát bebörtönöztek.
She was jailed for life for the series of murders.
They threatened to jail anyone who broke the curfew.
The reporter was jailed for publishing information about government corruption.
Exemples pédagogiques
The court jailed the man for two years.
A bíróság két év börtönbüntetésre ítélte a férfit.
He was jailed for stealing a car.
Bebörtönözték, mert ellopott egy autót.
Many people were jailed after the fight.
They could jail you if you do that again.
Erreur fréquente :
Learners sometimes say *"put him to jail"* instead of *"put him in jail"* or *"jail him"*. Also, in passive forms we usually say *"He was jailed for theft"*, not *"He was jailed because of theft"* when we want to name the specific crime.
Sens
to put someone in jail
Collocations
jail someone for
|be jailed for
|wrongfully jailed
|jailed for life
|jailed overnight
Synonymes
imprison (Slightly more formal and broader; can refer to putting someone in any prison, not only a local jail.)
|
lock up (More informal and vivid; often used in everyday speech and can also refer to locking doors, not only jails.)
Antonymes
release (Means to let someone go free after being held, the opposite of putting them in jail.)
Thèmes
crime
|law
|punishment
Définition
To send or keep someone in jail, usually after a judge decides they are guilty.
To put someone in jail, especially as a result of a legal decision or as part of the criminal process.
NOM
C1
INFORMAL
4
börtön
A2
Schéma d’usage :
[something] is a jail for [someone]
For him, that small town felt like a jail.
Számára az a kisváros olyan volt, mint egy börtön.
Her strict marriage became a jail she was desperate to escape.
A merev szabályokkal teli házassága börtönné vált számára, amelyből kétségbeesetten szabadulni akart.
Debt can be a financial jail that controls every choice you make.
He said his office job was a jail that slowly killed his creativity.
Exemples pédagogiques
This job is a jail for me.
Ez a munka olyan számomra, mint egy börtön.
For some teenagers, school feels like a jail.
Néhány tinédzser számára az iskola olyan, mint egy börtön.
She wants to leave; this house is a jail to her.
His fear is a jail that stops him from living fully.
Sens
very limiting situation
Collocations
feel like a jail
|escape this jail
|emotional jail
|mental jail
Synonymes
prison (Used metaphorically in the same way; often slightly more dramatic or emotional in tone.)
|
trap (Suggests being caught in a situation that is hard to leave, but not always with the strong loss of freedom suggested by "jail".)
Antonymes
freedom (Represents the opposite feeling of being able to choose and move without strong limits.)
Thèmes
emotions
|daily life
|core_vocabulary
Définition
A life situation that feels like you cannot move or choose freely, like being in a jail.
A situation, place, or condition that strongly limits someone's freedom or choices, compared to being locked in a jail.
Grammaire
Forme canonique
jail
API
GB/d͡ʒˈeɪl/
US/d͡ʒˈeɪl/
Syllabes et accentuation
jail (1 syllabe)
Stress on 1st syllable (jail)
Formes du mot
Noun
- Base: jail
- Plural: jail, jails
Verb
- Base: jail
- 3rd Person Singular: jails
- Present Participle: jailing
- Past: jailed
Famille de mots
Forms
jails
noun
jailing
verb
jailed
verb
Related words
jailer
noun
jailbreak
noun
Expressions
get out of jail free card
1/ɡˈɛt ˈaʊt əv d͡ʒˈeɪl fɹˈi kˈɑɹd/
idiom
informal
way to avoid punishment
Something that lets a person avoid a punishment or bad result that they normally should get.
Exemples
- His famous last name seemed like a get out of jail free card.
- Winning public support was her get out of jail free card in politics.
- Some people think money acts as a get out of jail free card for the rich.
go to jail
1/ɡˈoʊ tə d͡ʒˈeɪl/
fixed phrase
be sent to jail
To be taken by the police or court to jail as punishment for a crime.
Exemples
- If you drink and drive, you could go to jail.
- He went to jail for three years for fraud.
- People who do not pay their taxes may go to jail.
in jail
1/ˈɪn d͡ʒˈeɪl/
fixed phrase
inside jail as prisoner
Kept in a jail and not free to leave.
Exemples
- Her brother is in jail for robbery.
- He spent the night in jail after the fight.
- Many protesters are still in jail without trial.
jail sentence
1/d͡ʒˈeɪl sˈɛntəns/
fixed phrase
order to spend time in jail
A court’s decision that a person must spend a set time in jail.
Exemples
- He received a three-year jail sentence for the robbery.
- The judge said a jail sentence was necessary to protect the public.
- Her jail sentence was reduced after she apologized to the victims.
jail time
1/d͡ʒˈeɪl tˈaɪm/
fixed phrase
time spent in jail
The period of time someone stays in jail as a punishment.
Exemples
- He served his jail time and is now trying to rebuild his life.
- The judge said she deserved jail time for the crime.
- New laws could mean more jail time for repeat offenders.
out of jail
1/ˈaʊt əv d͡ʒˈeɪl/
fixed phrase
no longer in jail
Free again after being in jail.
Exemples
- He will be out of jail next month.
- She got out of jail early for good behavior.
- After ten years out of jail, he finally found steady work.
sent to jail
1/sˈɛnt tə d͡ʒˈeɪl/
fixed phrase
officially put in jail
Ordered by a court to go to jail as punishment.
Exemples
- He was sent to jail for ten years.
- Three people were sent to jail after the trial.
- She fears being sent to jail if she returns to her country.
stay out of jail
1/stˈeɪ ˈaʊt əv d͡ʒˈeɪl/
fixed phrase
avoid going to jail
To avoid going to jail, especially by obeying the law.
Exemples
- He promised his mother he would stay out of jail this time.
- Good lawyers helped him stay out of jail.
- She works hard now and says that keeps her busy and out of jail.
throw in jail
1/θɹˈoʊ ˈɪn d͡ʒˈeɪl/
idiom
informal
put someone in jail harshly
To put someone in jail, often suddenly or in a strict or unfair way.
Exemples
- They threatened to throw him in jail if he didn’t pay the fine.
- The dictator would throw journalists in jail for asking hard questions.
- You can’t just throw people in jail without a fair trial.
rot in jail
5/ɹˈɑt ˈɪn d͡ʒˈeɪl/
idiom
informal
spend long time in jail
To stay in jail for a very long time, usually in bad conditions and with no hope of leaving soon.
Exemples
- The judge said he hoped the killer would rot in jail.
- They are afraid their son will rot in jail if the law does not change.
- Many political prisoners are left to rot in jail for years.
rot in jail
6/ɹˈɑt ˈɪn d͡ʒˈeɪl/
idiom
informal
Suffer in jail for years
To stay in jail for a very long time and suffer there, often used when someone strongly wishes this to happen to a criminal.
Exemples
- He deserves to rot in jail for what he did to those children.
- The judge told him he would rot in jail if he ever broke the law again.