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

Jack Kerouac sought enlightenment there; his compatriot Neal Cassady was imprisoned there, in San Quentin. — Los Angeles Times, 4 Sep. 2026

Seeking refuge from constant bombardment, Anna discovers Bianca, her imaginary double, living in a fantastical town imprisoned by a war of its own. — Alexandra Patterson, Variety, 3 Sep. 2026

You’re born in a place where women are treated terribly, or journalists are imprisoned, and those people need some luck. — Lily Ford, HollywoodReporter, 3 Sep. 2026

Home distillers can be fined $10,000 for every batch and imprisoned for up to five years. — Maureen Groppe, USA Today, 30 Aug. 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