imprison

verb

im·​pris·​on im-ˈpri-zᵊn 

imprisoned; imprisoning; imprisons

transitive verb

: to put in or as if in prison : confine

imprisonment

im-ˈpri-zᵊn-mənt 

noun

Synonyms of imprison

• jail
• incarcerate

Examples of imprison in a Sentence

He was imprisoned for murder.

He has threatened to imprison his political opponents.

Recent Examples on the Web

Christians were imprisoned or killed for practicing their faith, and religious practice was confined to the Chinese nationalist Three-Self Church under strict government control. —Arkansas Online, 22 Jan. 2026

Her world falls apart when her husband, a Supreme Court Justice Minister, is imprisoned for corruption. —Stewart Clarke, Deadline, 22 Jan. 2026

Here's everything to know about Veronica Compton's life after she was imprisoned. —Jessica Sager, PEOPLE, 21 Jan. 2026

Executive producer Craig Silverstein explained to TVLine that the finale revealed Zeus imprisoned Thalia not to save her life, but as punishment out of anger. —Hannah Abraham, Forbes.com, 21 Jan. 2026

Word History

Etymology

Middle English, from Anglo-French emprisoner, from en- + prison prison

First Known Use

14th century, in the meaning defined above

Rhymes for imprison

• arisen
• kisan
• mizzen
• nisan
• prison
• risen

Kids Definition

imprison

verb

im·​pris·​on im-ˈpriz-ᵊn 

imprisoned; imprisoning

-ˈpriz-(ə-)niŋ

: to put in or as if in prison

imprisonment

-ˈpriz-ən-mənt 

noun

Legal Definition

imprison

transitive verb

im·​pris·​on

: to confine in prison especially as punishment for a crime compare false imprisonment

imprisonment noun