jailbreak

1 of 2

noun

jail·​break ˈjāl-ˌbrāk How to pronounce jailbreak (audio)
: a forcible escape from jail

jailbreak

2 of 2

verb

jailbroke ˈjāl-ˌbrōk How to pronounce jailbreak (audio) ; jailbreaking; jailbreaks

transitive verb

: to remove built-in limitations from (an electronic device, such as a cell phone)
I'm not trying to be overly snarky here, but for … in-house app distribution, I see no need or advantage to jailbreaking an iOS device.John Welch
Last week we learned you can jailbreak every current model of Kindle.Thorin Klosowski
Apple makes it nearly impossible for the average user to download apps from anywhere else unless you jailbreak your phone.Peter Wells

Examples of jailbreak in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Noun
The Cardinals figured out what the Bears were doing protection-wise and there were too many jailbreaks after that, especially when the Bears were trailing big in the fourth quarter. Brad Biggs, Chicago Tribune, 4 Nov. 2024 And while these models have stronger guardrails built in to prevent misuse, many people have found ways to ‘jailbreak’ them, effectively circumventing these guardrails. Tharin Pillay, TIME, 5 Nov. 2024
Verb
Plus, most jailbreaks only work on outdated hardware and old versions of the firmware, Apple argues, because the vulnerabilities used to achieve jailbreaks get patched. Lily Hay Newman, WIRED, 22 July 2020 This makes sure that the models can stand up to attempts to jailbreak them or manipulate them in other ways. Janakiram Msv, Forbes, 13 Sep. 2024 See all Example Sentences for jailbreak 

Word History

First Known Use

Noun

1910, in the meaning defined above

Verb

2007, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of jailbreak was in 1910

Dictionary Entries Near jailbreak

Cite this Entry

“Jailbreak.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/jailbreak. Accessed 22 Nov. 2024.

Kids Definition

jailbreak

noun
jail·​break -ˌbrāk How to pronounce jailbreak (audio)
: an escape from jail by use of force

More from Merriam-Webster on jailbreak

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