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 This locks out the very populations- people who inject drugs, incarcerated people and Medicaid beneficiaries- who carry most of the disease burden. — William A. Haseltine, Forbes.com, 21 Aug. 2026 Letby has been incarcerated at HMP Low Newton in Durham, England, since her conviction in 2023. — Emily Blackwood, PEOPLE, 21 Aug. 2026 Nick Reiner is currently incarcerated at the Twin Towers Correctional Facility in Los Angeles, awaiting further legal proceedings in connection with the alleged murder of his parents, Rob and Michele Reiner, which occurred on December 14, 2025. — Blanche Marcel, Vanity Fair, 19 Aug. 2026 Many expressed their sadness at knowing their friend would likely spend much of his life incarcerated, but declined to comment on the record. — Lorena O’Neil, Rolling Stone, 17 Aug. 2026 See All Example Sentences for incarcerate
Recent Examples of Synonyms for incarcerate
  1. imprison
  2. jail
Verb
  • Crime, courts and policing A man falsely imprisoned for 18 years was exonerated of an Orange County robbery.
    — Andrew J. Campa, Los Angeles Times, 23 Aug. 2026
  • Daniels and Farinha have also both confronted their share of skeptics about the odds of turning around those who have been imprisoned as well as those heading in that direction.
    — Rocco Parascandola, New York Daily News, 23 Aug. 2026
Definition of imprison
Verb
  • In 2020, she was jailed for taking part in an anti-police brutality protest near the Kremlin with Pussy Riot, clad in their synonymous pink balaclavas.
    — Hikmat Mohammed, ARTnews.com, 25 Aug. 2026
  • The divorced father of two was jailed for a minimum of eight hours under Florida law before being released on bail.
    — Madeleine Marr, Miami Herald, 24 Aug. 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 27 Aug. 2026.

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