The difference between Jail and Prison
When used as nouns, jail means a place or institution for the confinement of persons held in lawful custody or detention, especially for minor offenses or with reference to some future judicial proceeding, whereas prison means a place or institution of confinement, especially of long-term confinement for those convicted of serious crimes or otherwise considered undesirable by the government.
When used as verbs, jail means to imprison, whereas prison means to imprison.
check bellow for the other definitions of Jail and Prison
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Jail as a noun:
A place or institution for the confinement of persons held in lawful custody or detention, especially for minor offenses or with reference to some future judicial proceeding.
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Jail as a noun (uncountable):
Confinement in a jail.
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Jail as a noun (horse racing):
The condition created by the requirement that a horse claimed in a claiming race not be run at another track for some period of time (usually 30 days).
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Jail as a noun:
In dodgeball and related games, the area where players who have been struck by the ball are confined.
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Jail as a noun (computing, [[FreeBSD]]):
A kind of sandbox for running a guest operating system instance.
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Jail as a verb:
To imprison.
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Prison as a noun:
A place or institution of confinement, especially of long-term confinement for those convicted of serious crimes or otherwise considered undesirable by the government.
Examples:
"The cold stone walls of the prison had stood for over a century."
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Prison as a noun (uncountable):
Confinement in prison.
Examples:
"Prison was a harrowing experience for him."
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Prison as a noun (colloquial):
Any restrictive environment, such as a harsh academy or home.
Examples:
"The academy was a prison for many of its students because of its strict teachers."
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Prison as a verb (transitive):
To imprison.