incarceration

noun

in·​car·​cer·​a·​tion (ˌ)in-ˌkär-sə-ˈrā-shən 

plural incarcerations

: confinement in a jail or prison : the act of imprisoning someone or the state of being imprisoned

Despite the drop in crime in past decades, rates of arrest and incarceration in New York City have not gone down.

—Robin Steinberg

To this day, the Supreme Court has not overruled its infamous Korematsu opinion of 1944, which validated our mass incarceration in deference to national security.

—George Takei

Synonyms

• captivity
• confinement
• immurement
• impoundment
• imprisonment
• internment
• prison

Examples of incarceration in a Sentence

he was bored and frustrated by his incarceration in the quarantine

sentenced to six months of incarceration for dealing in narcotics

Recent Examples on the Web

Under his bill, those convicted of possessing a small amount of cannabis would be guilty of a summary offense and face a fine not exceeding $100, with no possibility of incarceration. —A.j. Herrington, Forbes, 23 Dec. 2024

They were released this month after 17 years of incarceration. —Anita Chabria, Los Angeles Times, 23 Dec. 2024

Assange got his freedom after five years of incarceration in Britain, saw the threat of 175 years behind bars and extradition to the USA lifted, and traveled back home Down Under. —Dominic Patten, Deadline, 20 Dec. 2024

Wagner was sentenced to 30 days incarceration in February 2022 for a misdemeanor charge of parading, demonstrating or picketing in a Capitol Building. —Sarah Nelson, The Indianapolis Star, 16 Dec. 2024

Word History

First Known Use

circa 1540, in the meaning defined above

Medical Definition

incarceration

noun

in·​car·​cer·​a·​tion in-ˌkär-sə-ˈrā-shən 

1

: a confining or state of being confined

2

: abnormal retention or confinement of a body part

specifically : a constriction of the neck of a hernial sac so that the hernial contents become irreducible