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 TakeiExamples 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
This interactive experience in Pa’a village near Hilo on the Island of Hawaii was created by community leader Iopa Maunakea to help local men recover from incarceration and addiction.
—Joe Yogerst, Forbes.com, 28 May 2026
The board needs to implement a more comprehensive system to reduce the rising rate of deaths in county jails that includes mental health services, substance abuse treatment and alternatives to incarceration.
—Steve Scauzillo, Daily News, 27 May 2026
Brown raised Boyne’s bond, leading to his incarceration, after Boyne surreptitiously photographed a prosecution document in court and shared it with other sympathetic bloggers.
—Edmund H. Mahony, Hartford Courant, 26 May 2026
Topping made the decision to start sharing her story on TikTok, months before the release of the new Netflix documentary The Crash, which details the events leading up to Shirilla's incarceration.
—Chris Spargo, PEOPLE, 25 May 2026
See All Example Sentences for incarceration
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Joe Yogerst, Forbes.com, 28 May 2026
The board needs to implement a more comprehensive system to reduce the rising rate of deaths in county jails that includes mental health services, substance abuse treatment and alternatives to incarceration.
—Steve Scauzillo, Daily News, 27 May 2026
Brown raised Boyne’s bond, leading to his incarceration, after Boyne surreptitiously photographed a prosecution document in court and shared it with other sympathetic bloggers.
—Edmund H. Mahony, Hartford Courant, 26 May 2026
Topping made the decision to start sharing her story on TikTok, months before the release of the new Netflix documentary The Crash, which details the events leading up to Shirilla's incarceration.
—Chris Spargo, PEOPLE, 25 May 2026
See All Example Sentences for incarceration
Cite this Entry
“Incarceration.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/incarceration. Accessed 31 May. 2026.
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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