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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
Chris Barilla, Peoplemag, 11 Apr. 2024
Chapter 53 of the Occupations Code allows revocation by operation of law if a nurse is incarcerated following a plea of guilty to a felony, Vanderford said.
—Nicole Lopez, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 11 Apr. 2024
The former Chrisley Knows Best star, who is currently incarcerated after being found guilty of financial fraud, has been ordered to pay $755,000 to Georgia Department of Revenue investigator Amy Doherty-Heinze after slandering her on podcasts and social media.
—Wesley Stenzel, EW.com, 10 Apr. 2024
The defense argued for leniency, saying that Ornelas Mora’s family would suffer if he was incarcerated for a lengthy period of time.
—Nate Gartrell, The Mercury News, 8 Apr. 2024
Not long after landing in Benghazi, Matar pays a visit to Mahmoud, an uncle who had been incarcerated in the Abu Salim prison together with his father.
—Hazlitt, 3 Apr. 2024
He was incarcerated at Woodbourne Correctional Facility in 2016 following a rape conviction, department records show.
—Julia Marnin, Miami Herald, 2 Apr. 2024
Because her incarcerated relative is imprisoned several hours away from her home, the price of the video calls is especially affordable compared with the cost of an in-person visit.
—Ian Shapira, Washington Post, 31 Mar. 2024
Project Rebound, for example, is completely dedicated to helping formerly incarcerated students transition into higher education.
—Emma Hall, Sacramento Bee, 26 Mar. 2024
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.
Word History
Latin incarceratus, past participle of incarcerare, from in- + carcer prison
1575, in the meaning defined at sense 1
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Cite this Entry
“Incarcerate.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/incarcerate. Accessed 16 Apr. 2024.
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Kids Definition
incarcerate
verb
Legal Definition
incarcerate
transitive verb
Latin incarceratus, past participle of incarcerare, from in- in + carcer prison
More from Merriam-Webster on incarcerate
Nglish: Translation of incarcerate for Spanish Speakers
Britannica English: Translation of incarcerate for Arabic Speakers
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