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
Robin SteinbergTo 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
George TakeiSynonyms
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
Released in 2015 — three years into his incarceration — Viking became Kartel’s fourth consecutive project to reach the top 10 of Reggae Albums (No. 3).
—Kyle Denis, Billboard, 30 Jan. 2025
Funds will be steered toward expanding its payor and health system partnerships and providing more services to high-risk populations, including adults in the criminal justice system, where the company sees telehealth as a means of providing consistent care from incarceration to reentry.
—Erin Brodwin, Axios, 29 Jan. 2025
By ensuring there are routine opportunities to evaluate an individual’s rehabilitation, the objectives of incarceration are more likely to be achieved.
—Eddie Deleon, Hartford Courant, 27 Jan. 2025
In October, a judge sentenced Paul Orta Jr., of Blue Earth, Minn., to six months of incarceration for obstructing police and ordered him to report to prison when notified by the court’s probation office.
—Matt Sepic, Twin Cities, 25 Jan. 2025
See all Example Sentences for incarceration 
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.
Kyle Denis, Billboard, 30 Jan. 2025
Funds will be steered toward expanding its payor and health system partnerships and providing more services to high-risk populations, including adults in the criminal justice system, where the company sees telehealth as a means of providing consistent care from incarceration to reentry.
—Erin Brodwin, Axios, 29 Jan. 2025
By ensuring there are routine opportunities to evaluate an individual’s rehabilitation, the objectives of incarceration are more likely to be achieved.
—Eddie Deleon, Hartford Courant, 27 Jan. 2025
In October, a judge sentenced Paul Orta Jr., of Blue Earth, Minn., to six months of incarceration for obstructing police and ordered him to report to prison when notified by the court’s probation office.
—Matt Sepic, Twin Cities, 25 Jan. 2025
See all Example Sentences for incarceration
Articles Related to incarceration
Dictionary Entries Near incarceration
Cite this Entry
“Incarceration.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/incarceration. Accessed 16 Feb. 2025.
Copy CitationMedical 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
Love words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
Share