imprison

verb

im·​pris·​on im-ˈpri-zᵊn 

imprisoned; imprisoning; imprisons

transitive verb

: to put in or as if in prison : confine

imprisonment

im-ˈpri-zᵊn-mənt 

noun

Synonyms

• commit
• confine
• immure
• incarcerate
• intern
• jail
• jug
• lock (up)

Examples of imprison in a Sentence

He was imprisoned for murder.

He has threatened to imprison his political opponents.

Recent Examples on the Web

Five people were later imprisoned for his murder, with prosecutors accusing two of them of being members of the notorious Los Lobos gang. —Max Saltman, CNN, 8 Feb. 2025

Free imprisoned insurrectionists who violently assaulted Capitol police officers while attempting to forcefully prevent the constitutional transfer of power. —Dan Greene, The New Yorker, 6 Feb. 2025

He was imprisoned for four months in 2024 and was released just a week ahead of the 2024 U.S. presidential election. —Kristan Hawkins, Newsweek, 6 Feb. 2025

Meanwhile, relative newcomer Tonatiuh is the beating heart of the film as Molina, a man imprisoned for his sexuality. —Maureen Lee Lenker, EW.com, 5 Feb. 2025

Word History

Etymology

Middle English, from Anglo-French emprisoner, from en- + prison prison

First Known Use

14th century, in the meaning defined above

Kids Definition

imprison

verb

im·​pris·​on im-ˈpriz-ᵊn 

imprisoned; imprisoning

-ˈpriz-(ə-)niŋ

: to put in or as if in prison

imprisonment

-ˈpriz-ən-mənt 

noun

Legal Definition

imprison

transitive verb

im·​pris·​on

: to confine in prison especially as punishment for a crime compare false imprisonment

imprisonment noun