Inmate Meaning
/ˈɪn.meɪt/Definition, CEFR level B2, pronunciation, examples, and quiz.
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Definition
nounA person confined to an institution such as a prison (as a convict) or hospital (as a patient).
nounA person who shares a residence (such as a hotel guest, a lodger, or a student living on campus), or other place.
Sentence Examples
The inmate was doing time for a burglary conviction.
Tom has been an inmate of a high-security prison for the past three years.
Synonyms & Antonyms
Synonyms:
Antonyms:
None
CEFR Practice Quiz
The warden introduced the new ____ to the other prisoners in the yard.
CEFR Practice Quiz (Alternate)
The prison ____ spent most of his time reading books in the library to pass the long days.
Word Origin & History
From inn + -mate, or from in- + -mate.
Literary Quotations & Historical Citations
"I love to sail forbidden seas, and land on barbarous coasts. Not ignoring what is good, I am quick to perceive a horror, and could still be social with it—would they let me—since it is but well to be on friendly terms with all the inmates of the place one lodges in."
— 1851 November 14, Herman Melville, “Loomings”, in Moby-Dick; or, The Whale, 1st American edition, New York, N.Y.: Harper & Brothers; London: Richard Bentley, →OCLC:
"[T]he inmates of the coach, by numerous hard, painful joltings, and ponderous, dragging trundlings, are suddenly made sensible of some great change in the character of the road."
— 1852 July, Herman Melville, “Book XVI. First Night of Their Arrival in the City.”, in Pierre: Or, The Ambiguities, New York, N.Y.: Harper & Brothers, […], →OCLC, section I, pages 312–313:
Explore More B2 Vocabulary Words
CEFR Practice Quiz
The warden introduced the new ____ to the other prisoners in the yard.
CEFR Practice Quiz (Alternate)
The prison ____ spent most of his time reading books in the library to pass the long days.