jails

Noun

jail (countable and uncountable, plural jails)

1. A place or institution for the confinement of persons held against their will in lawful custody or detention, especially (in US usage) a place where people are held for minor offenses or with reference to some future judicial proceeding.
   • serve time in jail

   Synonyms:

   slammer, hoosegow

2. (uncountable) Confinement in a jail.
   • He said Robins had not been in trouble with the law before and had no previous convictions. Jail would have an adverse effect on her and her three children as she was the main carer.2011 December 14, Steven Morris, “Devon woman jailed for 168 days for killing kitten in microwave”, in Guardian
3. (uncountable) 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).
4. In dodgeball and related games, the area where players who have been struck by the ball are confined.
5. (uncountable, usually) A kind of sandbox for running a guest operating system instance.

See all 6 meanings of jail