Meaning & use
gaolers
Last updated
“gaolers” is a form of “gaoler”.
Meaning
nounpluralBritishold-fashioned
The plural of gaoler: people whose job is to guard prisoners in a jail.
Grammar: Plural of gaoler; in American English the usual spelling is jailers.
Patterns
- the gaolers at a prison
- be guarded by gaolers
In the old story, the gaolers walked along the corridor every hour.
The gaolers were responsible for keeping the prisoners locked in their cells.
Word forms
| singular | gaoler |
|---|
Common combinations
- prison gaolers
- The prison gaolers checked each cell before midnight.
- a cruel gaoler
- The novel describes a cruel gaoler who mistreats the prisoners.
- be guarded by gaolers
- The captured soldiers were guarded by gaolers day and night.
Synonyms and how they differ
- prison guards
- The modern, neutral term used in most contexts; gaolers sounds old-fashioned and literary.
- warders
- A British term for prison officers, now less common than "prison officers" but more current than "gaolers."
- jailers
- The American spelling of the same word; use this in US English.
Opposites
Word family
Commonly confused: gaolers or jailers?
gaolers vs jailers
Same meaning and pronunciation, but jailers is the standard American spelling; gaolers is British and old-fashioned.
Practice
Choose the sentence that uses "gaolers" correctly.
Choose one answer.
Gaolers guard prisoners, so they lock them in cells; prisoners, not gaolers, escape or are sentenced.
Make it your own
Write a sentence using “gaolers”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.