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

To 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

Synonyms of incarceration

• captivity
• internment
• imprisonment
• prison
• confinement

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

Under a law passed in Georgia last year called the Wrongful Conviction and Incarceration Compensation Act, a person whose conviction is later vacated can be awarded $75,000 for every year of incarceration. — Andy Rose, CNN Money, 26 June 2026

Timing of Faith in Corrections Is Particularly Noteworthy American corrections continues to grapple with persistent recidivism, overcrowding, mental health challenges, and questions about the effectiveness of incarceration itself. — Walter Pavlo, Forbes.com, 25 June 2026

Layne’s group has pushed county leaders to fund a continuous drug addiction treatment program, expanding access for those who need it both during and after incarceration. — Gavin J. Quinton, Los Angeles Times, 19 June 2026

Sarsour, who has Type 2 diabetes, has lost more than 30 pounds during his incarceration and his attorneys say his blood sugar levels were only being checked once a month in the jail, putting him at risk of organ failure or death. — Rebecca Boone, Chicago Tribune, 18 June 2026

Word History

First Known Use

circa 1540, in the meaning defined above

Rhymes for incarceration

• abbreviation
• abomination
• acceleration
• accentuation
• accommodation
• accreditation
• acculturation
• accumulation
• acetylation
• adjudication
• administration
• adulteration

Medical 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