Merriam-Webster Logo
SINCE 1828
Menu
×

An Encyclopædia Britannica Company

See What's Trending Now See More Trending Words

immure

verb im·mure \ i-ˈmyu̇r \

Definition of immure

immured; immuring
transitive verb
1 a :to enclose within or as if within walls
b :imprison
2 :to build into a wall; especially :to entomb in a wall
—

immurement

play \i-ˈmyu̇r-mənt\ noun

See immure defined for kids

Explore Merriam-Webster

alt-59e900afadac6
The Synonyms 'Discover' and 'Invent'
tycoon
17 English Words that Come From Japanese
one-green-toy-robot-amidst-many-red-toy-robots
The Exceptions Quiz III
video-title-words-of-the-year-1066
Words of the Year: 1066

immure was our Word of the Day on 10/26/2012. Hear the podcast!

Theme music by Joshua Stamper ©2006 New Jerusalem Music/ASCAP

Get Word of the Day daily email, delivered to your inbox!

Examples of immure in a Sentence

  1. scientists at the research station in Alaska are immured by the frozen wastelands that surround them

  2. immured by a controlling, possessive mother, the young woman had no outside social life

Did You Know?

Like "mural," "immure" comes from "murus," a Latin noun that means "wall." "Immurare," a Medieval Latin verb, was formed from "murus" and the prefix in- (meaning "in" or "within"). "Immure," which first appeared in English in the late 16th century, literally means "to wall in" or "to enclose with a wall," but it has extended meanings as well. In addition to senses meaning "imprison" and "entomb," the word sometimes has broader applications, essentially meaning "to shut in" or "to confine." One might remark, for example, that a very studious acquaintance spends most of her time "immured in the library" or that a withdrawn teenager "immures himself in his bedroom every night."

Origin and Etymology of immure

Medieval Latin immurare, from Latin in- + murus wall — more at munition

immure Synonyms

Synonyms
box (in), cage, closet, coop (up), corral, encage, encase, envelop, fence (in), hedge, hem (in), house, enclose, include, mew (up), pen, wall (in)
Antonyms
discharge, free, liberate, release
Related Words
bound, circumscribe, confine, contain, limit, restrict; encircle, encompass, enfold, enframe, enlace, frame, ring, surround; armor, cocoon, encapsulate, encapsule, encyst, ensheathe, ensphere, enwomb
Near Antonyms
emancipate, enfranchise, manumit, unbind, uncage, unchain, unfetter

Learn More about immure

  1. See words that rhyme with immure Thesaurus: All synonyms and antonyms for immure Britannica English: Translation of immure for Arabic speakers

Seen and Heard

What made you want to look up immure? Please tell us where you read or heard it (including the quote, if possible).

show hide

Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!

WORD OF THE DAY

knee-jerk

play

readily predictable

Get Word of the Day daily email!

TRENDING NOW

  1. imbroglio "a public scandal"

  2. spurious of a deceitful nature or quality

  3. righteous We provide an assortment of definitions

  4. Kafkaesque 'A nightmarish quality'

  5. mike "microphone"

SEE ALL

BROWSE DICTIONARY

Test Your Vocabulary

The Exceptions Quiz III

  • one-green-toy-robot-amidst-many-red-toy-robots
  • Which of these words does not mean "nonsense"?
True or False

Test your knowledge - and maybe learn something along the way.

TAKE THE QUIZ
Word Winder's CrossWinder

Test Your Knowledge - and learn some interesting things along the way.

TAKE THE QUIZ

Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!

Words at Play

alt-59e900afadac6
The Synonyms 'Discover' and 'Invent'

In the past, you could invent fruit.

alt-59e8c3440f453
I'll Have the Us(ual)

Shortening 'usual': easy to say, hard to spell

alt-59e77dc36c593
The Origins of 'Lobbyist'

From the front hallways to the back rooms

alt-59e673567065d
The History of the Word 'Terrorism'

Noah Webster first entered the term in 1840

Ask the Editors

video-title-words-of-the-year-1066
Words of the Year: 1066

Or, Why Pig Meat is Called 'Pork' and Cow Meat is Called 'Beef'

payday
How Often Is 'Biweekly'?

Don't get us started on 'bimonthly'

video-irregardless-grammar-peeve-blend-of-the-synonyms-irrespective-and-regardless
Irregardless

It is in fact a real word (but that doesn't mean you should use it).

video-moose-goose-weird-plurals
Weird Plurals

One goose, two geese. One moose, two... moose. What's up with that?

Word Games

one-green-toy-robot-amidst-many-red-toy-robots
The Exceptions Quiz III

Which of these things doesn't belong?

Take the quiz
knupfer-painting-solon-before-croesus
Forms of Government Quiz

Name that government! Or something like that.

Take the quiz
True or False
True or False?

Test your knowledge - and maybe learn something along the way.

Take the quiz
Word Winder's CrossWinder
Word Winder's CrossWinder

A game of winding words.

Play the game
Examples: immure in a Sentence
Editor's Note: Did You Know?