noun
jailbreak
JAYL-brayk
noun
1
An escape from prison.
"News crews swarmed the prison after the jailbreak."
2
A hack that removes a phone or tablet manufacturer's software restrictions so unofficial apps can be installed.
"He jailbroke his old iPhone to install apps Apple never approved."
3
A prompt designed to trick an AI chatbot into ignoring its safety rules.
"Researchers study jailbreaks to make AI models harder to manipulate."
verb
1
To escape from prison, or to remove software restrictions from a device.
"They tried to jailbreak out through a tunnel dug under the yard."
How to Use Jailbreak
Learner’s notesIn plain EnglishBreaking free of confinement or restrictions — whether a real prison, a locked-down phone, or an AI's safety rules.
Common pairings
jailbreak an iPhone
attempt a jailbreak
AI jailbreak prompt
Word Forms
jailbroke past tense, jailbroken past tense, jailbreaks plural, jailbreaks singular
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News crews swarmed the prison after the _____.
Etymology
A straightforward compound of "jail" and "break," originally meaning a literal prison escape before being extended to devices and, more recently, AI systems.