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 Dave Evans, a spokesperson for the Maricopa County Sheriff's Office, said Sunday that Vasquez had been released from custody while Felix remained incarcerated at the Lower Buckeye Jail in Phoenix. — CBS News, 24 Aug. 2026 California’s Proposition 47 reduced certain drug convictions from felonies to misdemeanors and allowed inmates and formerly incarcerated people to petition the court for resentencing. — Literary Hub, 24 Aug. 2026 Dave Evans, a spokesperson for the Maricopa County Sheriff’s Office, said Sunday that Vasquez had been released from custody while Felix remained incarcerated at the Lower Buckeye Jail in Phoenix. — ABC News, 23 Aug. 2026 Letby has been incarcerated at HMP Low Newton in Durham, England, since her conviction in 2023. — Emily Blackwood, PEOPLE, 21 Aug. 2026 See All Example Sentences for incarcerate
Recent Examples of Synonyms for incarcerate
  1. imprison
  2. jail
Verb
  • Home distillers can be fined $10,000 for every batch and imprisoned for up to five years.
    — Maureen Groppe, USA Today, 30 Aug. 2026
  • She was imprisoned for four months in different facilities, where she was deprived of her medications, forced to stay awake, and convicted of falsified charges, according to the lawsuit.
    — Syra Ortiz Blanes, Miami Herald, 27 Aug. 2026
Definition of imprison
Verb
  • İmamoğlu was jailed and formally disqualified from public office.
    — Nick TaborAll, Encyclopedia Britannica, 2 Sep. 2026
  • Many other leading activists were also jailed under the same law, including former media tycoon Jimmy Lai.
    — ABC News, ABC News, 1 Sep. 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 6 Sep. 2026.

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