imprison

verb

im·​pris·​on im-ˈpri-zᵊn How to pronounce imprison (audio)
imprisoned; imprisoning; imprisons
Synonyms of imprisonnext

transitive verb

: to put in or as if in prison : confine
imprisonment noun

Examples of imprison in a Sentence

He was imprisoned for murder. He has threatened to imprison his political opponents.
Recent Examples on the Web
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
He was imprisoned for organizing the assassination of Polish Interior Minister Bronisław Pieracki in 1934. Brady Knox, The Washington Examiner, 20 June 2026 Elyas said his father did not have high blood pressure before his detainment and developed the condition while imprisoned. Mary Kekatos, ABC News, 20 June 2026 In Cars, vehicles talk and run a whole society; in Finding Nemo, fish feel imprisoned when they’re placed in a tank; Inside Out posits, through the use of anthropomorphized memories, that to be forgotten is a fate as bad as death. David Sims, The Atlantic, 19 June 2026 Several Death Match players were later arrested, imprisoned, and killed, though not in the immediate act of public martyrdom that later retellings of their ordeal sometimes suggest. Jim Hemphill, IndieWire, 19 June 2026 See All Example Sentences for imprison

Word History

Etymology

Middle English, from Anglo-French emprisoner, from en- + prison prison

First Known Use

14th century, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of imprison was in the 14th century

Browse Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Imprison.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/imprison. Accessed 22 Jun. 2026.

Kids Definition

imprison

verb
im·​pris·​on im-ˈpriz-ᵊn How to pronounce imprison (audio)
imprisoned; imprisoning
-ˈpriz-(ə-)niŋ
: to put in or as if in prison
imprisonment noun

Legal Definition

imprison

transitive verb
im·​pris·​on
: to confine in prison especially as punishment for a crime compare false imprisonment
imprisonment noun

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