incarcerate

verb

in-ˈkär-sə-ˌrāt How to pronounce incarcerate (audio)
Definition of incarceratenext
as in to imprison
to put in or as if in prison the state incarcerated over 1900 people last year

Synonyms & Similar Words

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Antonyms & Near Antonyms

Example Sentences

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.
Recent Examples of incarcerate Cofield was sentenced to 11 years in prison in January 2024 for stealing $11 million from a Hollywood billionaire while Cofield was incarcerated in Georgia’s Special Management Unit, designed to be the state’s most secure prison. — Danny Robbins, AJC.com, 23 Oct. 2026 Our main national survey on illicit drugs, the National Survey on Drug Use and Health, misses many of the people at greatest risk, including those who are homeless or incarcerated. — J. Travis Donahoe, STAT, 23 Oct. 2026 French Justice Minister Gérald ​Darmanin said some 2,700 people were held for questioning and 232 have been incarcerated in connection to the riots. — Ivana Kottasová, CNN Money, 23 Oct. 2026 Buchanan, 72, had been incarcerated since 2004 for kidnapping a convict who was harassing a corrupt prison guard. — Matthew Ormseth, Los Angeles Times, 22 Oct. 2026 See All Example Sentences for incarcerate
Recent Examples of Synonyms for incarcerate
  1. imprison
  2. jail
Verb
  • Hubbard, 74, was imprisoned on what the State Department called false charges of fighting for Ukraine; fellow prisoners said he was tortured for being American.
    — The Week US, TheWeek, 26 Oct. 2026
  • Barker makes the violation literal when Bear has sex with Nikki after discovering that his wish has effectively imprisoned her inside her own body.
    — Alison Foreman, IndieWire, 26 Oct. 2026
Definition of imprison
Verb
  • Taylor, who reportedly bought his aristocratic title on the internet, was jailed for three years for selling a fake painting by the British artist Lowry through auction house Bonhams.
    — Howard Walker, Robb Report, 21 Oct. 2026
  • Other Americans, including some with serious illnesses, remain jailed in Russia.
    — Dasha Litvinova, Los Angeles Times, 21 Oct. 2026
Definition of jail

Browse Nearby Words

incapacity
incarcerate
incarcerated
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Cite this Entry

“Incarcerate.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/incarcerate. Accessed 28 Oct. 2026.

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