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Just as English is full of nouns referring to places where prisoners are confined, from the familiar (jail and prison) to the obscure (calaboose and bridewell), so we have multiple verbs for the action of putting people behind bars. Some words can be used as both nouns and verbs, if in slightly different forms: one can be jailed in a jail, imprisoned in a prison, locked up in a lockup, or even jugged in a jug. Incarcerate does not have such a noun equivalent in English—incarceration refers to the state of confinement rather than a physical structure—but it comes ultimately from the Latin noun carcer, meaning “prison.” Incarcerate is also on the formal end of the spectrum when it comes to words related to the law and criminal justice, meaning you are more likely to read or hear about someone incarcerated in a penitentiary or detention center than in the pokey or hoosegow.
Synonyms
Examples of incarcerate in a Sentence
Sean Boyce Johnson, IndieWire, 27 Nov. 2024
Robert Warren, 28, was incarcerated at North Branch Correctional Institution in Cumberland, according to a news release from state police.
—Racquel Bazos, Baltimore Sun, 27 Nov. 2024
Upon release, formerly incarcerated people also face challenges around reintegration and securing housing, employment and medical care.
—Kim Bojórquez, Axios, 26 Nov. 2024
In cases and tragic circumstances that had more twists and turns than the Rust script itself, both Baldwin and still incarcerated Rust armorer Hannah Gutierrez-Reed were charged with involuntary manslaughter.
—Dominic Patten, Deadline, 26 Nov. 2024
See all Example Sentences for incarcerate 
Dictionary Entries Near incarcerate
Cite this Entry
“Incarcerate.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/incarcerate. Accessed 3 Dec. 2024.
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incarcerate
verb
Legal Definition
incarcerate
transitive verb
Latin incarceratus, past participle of incarcerare, from in- in + carcer prison
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