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

The Bush administration initially declined to prosecute him, but this changed under the Obama administration, which imprisoned Kiriakou in 2013 for 30 months. —Kate Kenny, The Conversation, 15 Dec. 2025

When a grieving college swimmer hunts down the hourglass, chasing closure, a predatory villain begins feeding on his grief, threatening to imprison him inside the hourglass’s landscape of memory and time. —Andreas Wiseman, Deadline, 15 Dec. 2025

Lukashenko, who has held the presidency in Belarus for over 30 years, has imprisoned hundreds of his opponents and critics since an election in 2020. —David Zimmermann, The Washington Examiner, 13 Dec. 2025

Babaryka was imprisoned during the 2020 election while trying to run against Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko. —Victoria Beaule, ABC News, 13 Dec. 2025

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