1
: a promise made with or confirmed by a pledge of one's honor
especially
: the promise of a prisoner of war to fulfill stated conditions in consideration of his release
2
: a watchword given only to officers of the guard and of the day
3
: a conditional release of a prisoner serving an indeterminate or unexpired sentence
4
a
: language viewed as a specific individual usage : performance
b
: a linguistic act compare langue
parole
adjective
Examples of parole in a Sentence
Noun
The prisoner will be eligible for parole after three years.
She robbed a bank while out on parole.
The prisoner was released on parole.
Recent Examples on the Web
Jessica Sager, PEOPLE, 23 Oct. 2025
He was sentenced to 10½ years in prison and will be required to serve parole following his incarceration, officials said.
—Paloma Chavez, Sacbee.com, 23 Oct. 2025
Susan Young, PEOPLE, 10 Oct. 2025
Despite Covid-19 restrictions, Jon was paroled, and entered a world that had been shut down.
—Miles Klee, Rolling Stone, 1 Oct. 2025
See All Example Sentences for parole
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Noun
The New York Times reported that in November 1993, he was sentenced to another year in prison for a parole violation.
—Jessica Sager, PEOPLE, 23 Oct. 2025
He was sentenced to 10½ years in prison and will be required to serve parole following his incarceration, officials said.
—Paloma Chavez, Sacbee.com, 23 Oct. 2025
Verb
In 2023, Leslie Van Houten became the only Manson family member involved in the murders to be paroled.
—Susan Young, PEOPLE, 10 Oct. 2025
Despite Covid-19 restrictions, Jon was paroled, and entered a world that had been shut down.
—Miles Klee, Rolling Stone, 1 Oct. 2025
See All Example Sentences for parole
Cite this Entry
“Parole.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/parole. Accessed 30 Oct. 2025.
Copy CitationKids Definition
parole
1 of 2 noun
pa·role
pə-ˈrōl 
: an early release of a prisoner who meets specified requirements
parole
2 of 2 verb
paroled; paroling
: to release on parole
parolee
noun
pə-ˌrō-ˈlē
Medical Definition
parole
noun
pa·role
pə-ˈrōl
: a conditional release given to a psychiatric patient in a hospital before discharge enabling the patient to visit freely various designated areas on the hospital grounds or beyond its limits
parolable
adjective
parole
transitive verb
paroled; paroling
Legal Definition
Etymology
Noun
Old French, speech, word, prisoner's word of honor to fulfill stated conditions, from Late Latin parabola speech, parable, from Greek parabolē comparison
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