jailbird

[ jeyl-burd ]

/ ˈdʒeɪlˌbɜrd /

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See synonyms for jailbird on Thesaurus.com

noun

a person who is or has been confined in jail; convict or ex-convict.

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His boss, whom he admires, is waiting to meet with him about the big project.

His boss, who he admires, is waiting to meet with him about the big project.

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Origin of jailbird

First recorded in 1595–1605; jail + bird

Words nearby jailbird

jai, jai alai, Jai Hind, jail, jailbait, jailbird, jailbreak, jail delivery, jailer, jail fever, jailhouse

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

How to use jailbird in a sentence

Joran van der Sloot is the latest jailbird to get romantic attention from women.
Women Who Love Murderers|Barbie Latza Nadeau|June 23, 2010|DAILY BEAST
There may have been some old jailbird called a King in the time of our grandmothers; but he belongs to history if not to fable.
The Wisdom of Father Brown|G. K. Chesterton
Second, and a heap more important, because the jailbird had threatened Miss Beulah.
The Sheriff's Son|William MacLeod Raine
It is not mysterious, it is not even odd, that a jailbird should take his gun to Pilgrim's Pond.
The Wisdom of Father Brown|G. K. Chesterton

He had forgotten all about it in the excitement of being a jailbird, and I went and reminded him.
Jill the Reckless|P. G. (Pelham Grenville) Wodehouse
The old man--hes the one we saw with those two suspicious jailbird-looking fellows down the line yesterday.
Ralph, the Train Dispatcher|Allen Chapman

British Dictionary definitions for jailbird

jailbird

gaolbird

/ (ˈdʒeɪlˌbɜːd) /

noun

a person who is or has been confined to jail, esp repeatedly; convict

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

jailbird

Origin of jailbird

Words nearby jailbird

Words related to jailbird

How to use jailbird in a sentence

British Dictionary definitions for jailbird

gaolbird