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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
Kimi Robinson, USA TODAY, 23 Oct. 2024
In 23 states, people with felony convictions lose their voting rights only while incarcerated.
—Drake Bentley, Journal Sentinel, 22 Oct. 2024
The document states that transgender inmates may require access to individual counseling, emotional support, and medical care such as hormone therapy, surgery, and more while incarcerated based on their individualized assessment.
—Kiara Alfonseca, ABC News, 21 Oct. 2024
The man had been convicted of assaulting women in the 1980s, but disappeared before he was incarcerated.
—Graham Averill, Outside Online, 18 Oct. 2024
See all Example Sentences for incarcerate 
These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'incarcerate.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.
Dictionary Entries Near incarcerate
Cite this Entry
“Incarcerate.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/incarcerate. Accessed 4 Nov. 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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