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
The Wikileaks founder pleaded guilty to one count of illegally disseminating national security material in a deal with the U.S. Justice Department, in exchange for his freedom after five years of incarceration in the UK.
—Jesse Whittock, Deadline, 26 June 2024
Three months later, the judge sentenced him to four months of incarceration and a $6,500 fine.
—Eric Cortellessa, TIME, 25 June 2024
Like so many of his generation, Xi was devoted to the cause despite numerous setbacks and personal sacrifices—a devotion that survived his persecution and incarceration by fellow members of the CCP in 1935 for not adhering closely enough to communist orthodoxy.
—Joseph Torigian, Foreign Affairs, 24 June 2024
In his argument for a lighter sentence, Joly placed blame for his incarceration in Haiti and criminal activities on a former Haitian government prosecutor and senator, Jean Renel Senatus.
—Jacqueline Charles, Miami Herald, 24 June 2024
See all Example Sentences for incarceration 
Jesse Whittock, Deadline, 26 June 2024
Three months later, the judge sentenced him to four months of incarceration and a $6,500 fine.
—Eric Cortellessa, TIME, 25 June 2024
Like so many of his generation, Xi was devoted to the cause despite numerous setbacks and personal sacrifices—a devotion that survived his persecution and incarceration by fellow members of the CCP in 1935 for not adhering closely enough to communist orthodoxy.
—Joseph Torigian, Foreign Affairs, 24 June 2024
In his argument for a lighter sentence, Joly placed blame for his incarceration in Haiti and criminal activities on a former Haitian government prosecutor and senator, Jean Renel Senatus.
—Jacqueline Charles, Miami Herald, 24 June 2024
See all Example Sentences for incarceration
These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'incarceration.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.
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Cite this Entry
“Incarceration.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/incarceration. Accessed 2 Jul. 2024.
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
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